Bluer Than Blue
by ziva2012
Summary: Jack's depressed. He hasn't got a clue how to handle his feelings for Sam.
1. Chapter 1

Bluer Than Blue

Chapter one

Col. Jack O'Neill wasn't sure why he had agreed to this. He usually sat in front of the TV on Wednesday nights watching the Simpsons or a hockey game. At least that's what he did when SG-1 wasn't spending the night on some alien planet. But instead, here he was sitting on a bar stool, about to watch two marines wrestle around in blue Jell-O!

His cohorts on this night out at O'Malley's were Daniel, Teal'c and Janet. It had been the diminutive doctor who had insisted that Jack join them for what she promised would be great fun. Besides, as she explained, half of the money bet on the wrestlers would go to a very worthwhile charity. So he had finally agreed, and now here he was, sitting very uncomfortably with his back jammed up against the bar, while hundreds of patrons tried to squeeze into the little back room of the bar/restaurant. Just for the night the juke box had been moved into the front dining room, and the pool table had been shoved up against one wall, in order to accommodate what looked suspiciously like a plastic, kids' wading pool. It was filled to the brim with jiggling blue Jell-O.

While they waited for the match to begin, most people were concentrating on the two challengers, the men dressed skimpily in tight-fitting Speedo bathing trunks. But Jack's attention was drawn to the blue stuff. 'Who,' he asked himself, 'had spent the last several hours making the stuff? And how did they do it? Did they use a giant mixing bowl? And how many packages of Jell-O did it take to make that much?' Jack wondered, unable to take his eyes off the stuff.

'And why the hell am I finding that blue, quivering mass so interesting?' he finally asked himself. Suddenly it came to him; blueberry Jell-O was Sam's favorite dessert. In fact, not a day went by that Jack didn't see her eating the damned stuff for lunch. It was a wonder her whole body hadn't turned blue by now, he decided as he watched the two marines step into the pool.

And then the match was on! The two buffed men went down, slipping and sliding in the blue, squishy substance, as their arms and legs wrapped around each other like two mating octopi. First one man would surface, his face set in a grimace as he seemed to get the upper hand. And then he would go down with a spat and a thud, as the other man gained control.

Jack hadn't bet on the match yet, but the waitress who arrived to collect their money, plus Janet's sharp elbow prodding his ribs, reminded him that he really should bet, since half the money was going to a very good cause. He had heard a lot of good things about Houses For the Homeless, and so Jack removed a fifty dollar bill from his wallet and placed his bet, earning a look of appreciation and approval from the base CMO.

"Good for you, Colonel!" Janet told him with a smile. "But my money's on the other guy," she said with a laugh.

"And why is that?" Jack asked, while keeping his eyes on the proceedings. His man was currently on top, but just then his opponent made a quick move and Jack's selection took a dive for the bottom of the pool, while the other man sat on him. The bartender, who was refereeing the wrestling match, blew his whistle and pulled the two men apart. Then they were back at it, and soon Jack's man was on the bottom of the pool again, while the other guy bent his arm and leg back at unnatural angles. Jack cringed, thinking that must really hurt!

"Because," Janet said, shouting at him, "I know Thornton! He was all state wrestling champion at the university where I did my graduate work," she informed him smugly.

"Well now is a pretty bad time to tell me, doc!" Jack complained loudly. Janet just shrugged, as Daniel looked over her head at Jack.

"We're really just here to help the charity, remember?" Daniel reminded him. The archaeologist smiled at Jack in a sort of a Cheshire Cat way, and then he turned to Teal'c and winked. Teal'c actually smiled, and Jack saw him. 'I wonder what's up with those two?' Jack wondered, but his attention was drawn back to the match once again, as his man disappeared under several inches of blue goo.

Jack watched in disgust as his man got the crap knocked out of him. For a charity fund raiser, Jack thought the match was getting way too brutal, and he was about to say something to the bartender when the winner was declared. Janet patted Jack's shoulder. "Sorry, Colonel!" Janet said with a laugh as they got off the bar stools to collect their winnings, before heading back to their booth in the dining room. Meanwhile the loser was helped out of the pool by his friends. Jack noticed that he could barely walk.

"I think your guy fights dirty, Doc," Jack commented. They were all weaving around tables, heading for their booth when Jack suddenly seemed to remember something he wanted to do. "Oh, say, if Jeanie comes around, order me a beer. I gotta take a piss," he said, and then he was sauntering off toward the back room, shouting 'hello' to various people as he went, most of them women.

Janet just rolled her eyes. Jack was a very popular guy whose language was nothing if not colorful, she thought as she followed along behind the other men of SG-1. She thought it was no wonder the other member of SG-1, Sam Carter, had a thing for her CO. As Janet slid into the booth next to Dr. Daniel Jackson, Janet wondered why Sam hadn't come along as she normally did. When Janet had asked Sam what she was doing that was so important, Sam had been evasive. Janet figured that Sam must have a date with that cute Sgt. Simmons, and she intended to ask her friend for all the details in the morning. But right now her mind was on the very appealing Dr. Jackson. The cute archaeologist had no inkling just how much Janet liked him, but one of these days she intended to show him exactly how she felt about him. In fact, maybe tonight she would let Daniel in on her little secret. Feeling emboldened by her third bottle of beer, she scooted over until their hips and thighs were touching, even though there was plenty of room to spare in the big booth.

Jack had carefully made his way around the pool and the wet, sticky mess on the floor, and was just finishing up in the men's restroom when he heard a familiar voice. Was he wrong, or was that his 2iC, Samantha Carter coming in the back door of the bar? He heard the door of the ladies' restroom close, and then he could hear more talking. He couldn't make out what was being said, and so he finished washing his hands, and then he waited out in the short, narrow hallway, intending to ask her why she had said she couldn't join them tonight.

He waited and he waited. Two women went inside and after a little while they came out again, laughing and shaking their heads after they passed Jack. Jack figured he must look like he was trolling for women right outside the women's restroom, which was a pretty embarrassing idea to say the least. He was just beginning to think that hearing Sam's voice had been his imagination playing a trick on him, when the door opened and she finally came out. Jack's mouth dropped open upon seeing her. And when she saw Jack, her face turned as pink as the short, terry cloth robe she was wearing.

"Colonel!"

"Captain! What are you doing here?" he asked, totally unaware of the other woman who had come out of the restroom with Sam. Sam motioned to her, introducing Jack to Captain Amy Walters of the USMC. Jack let the name go in one ear and out the other as he tried to wrap his mind around how Sam was dressed...or rather NOT dressed.  
Without thinking he checked her out from head to naked toes and back again, his dark eyes finally settling on her beautiful face.

"Captain Walters is my opponent," Sam told him, as she hugged a colorful, folded towel to her chest. Jack's brain, which was currently taking a siesta, still couldn't connect the dots.

"Your opponent?" he asked, looking at Sam as though she were speaking Greek.

"Yes, my opponent in the Jell-O wrestling match," Sam supplied, finally giving Jack enough information to put two and two together. His eyes opened to twice their normal size, and his mouth flew open.

"Oh. OH!"

"I hope you're in a betting mood, Colonel," Amy said as she slipped past him and into the bar. It was only then that Jack noticed Amy was wearing only a skimpy, neon-orange bikini. Jack's mouth had barely had a chance to close, before it was hanging open once again. Feeling his groin beginning to swell, he held his breath, and Sam just stood there clutching her beach towel to her chest for several more seconds before she finally moved.

"Well, I guess I had better..." Sam didn't finish whatever it was she was about to say. Instead she began to move around Jack, who slammed his body up against the wall, scurrying to get out of her way as though he was afraid she might touch him. He wasn't sure what would happen if their bodies did touch, but a sudden image of him coming in his pants danced across his immobilized brain.

"Oh! Oh, yah, sure! Don't let me keep you."

Jack stood there dumbfounded, watching as his 2iC padded on bare feet into the bar room. It took him a few seconds to gather his wits and head in the same direction, praying that no one would see how turned on he was. Tugging his shirt down in front he dashed over to the bar, but all the stools were already occupied...by men. Apparently many of the male patrons had already known there was to be another match, and that it was to be between two women. Jack saw his friends over on the other side of the room, standing in front of the pool table, and so he joined them.

"Sam's gonna wrestle! Can you believe it!" Janet yelled at him. Then she jumped up and down and squealed, grabbing Daniel around the middle and giving him a squeeze, which he returned enthusiastically. Jack just looked around at the crowd and nodded, still in a sort of daze.

Daniel looked at Teal'c and grinned. The big Jaffa smiled back and regally nodded his bald head. He and Daniel were big wrestling fans, and when they'd heard about this contest, and that an opponent was needed for Capt. Walters, they had quickly volunteered their teammate, Captain Carter. And to their surprise it had not taken long to convince her to participate. As they explained it to Sam, they honestly thought she could win, and the Air Force needed a champion just now, since the marines had recently won all of the sanctioned games between the two long-time rivals.

But Teal'c and Daniel had another reason for wanting Sam to wrestle. Not only did they believe she had a good chance of winning, but they were both eager to observe Jack's reaction as he watched his beautiful captain rolling around in a pool of blue Jell-O in nothing but a skimpy bikini. Teal'c, for one, was very pleased to be witnessing this exciting Earth mating ritual for the first time. As Daniel Jackson had put it, "Jack won't know what hit him!"

The bar quickly became packed with mostly men who were eager to see Capt. Amy Walters, well-known female, marine triathlon winner, and her opponent, a not so well-known Captain, who some had heard worked at the maximum security facility beneath Cheyenne Mountain. Not only didn't they know if Capt. Carter was a skilled wrestler, they had no idea what she really did for a living. And so the betting commenced with a flurry of wagers in favor of Capt. Walters, with only a few willing to bet against what appeared to be a sure thing.

As the crowd grew, the two female opponents stood behind the bar and out of the crowd, waiting for the bartender to announce the beginning of the match. Jack, who was taller than many, but still not as tall as he wished at times like this, stood at the back of the crowd. Janet, who was very petite, had climbed onto the pool table and stood in her stocking feet, while Daniel put one protective arm around her jean-clad legs, presumably to steady her. In reality, Daniel had decided recently that if Janet wanted him, he was going to let her have him. After all, life was what you made of it, and he'd had enough of playing the grieving husband.

Teal'c leaned against the wall next to Jack, a smug smile gracing his usually serious face.  
"You knew about this, didn't you?" Jack asked him. Teal'c's expression never changed, but he did bow his head once more.

A waitress came around and the patrons placed their bets. Janet and Daniel looked at each other and suppressed knowing smiles when Jack handed her a one hundred dollar bill, betting it all in Sam's favor. Once all the bets were placed, the crowd quieted down a bit as Amy and Sam came out from behind the bar. There were a few wolf whistles as Sam removed her terry cloth robe, revealing a very skimpy, hot pink bikini. Then the two women faced off on opposites sides of the twelve-foot-wide pool, while the referee repeated the rules of the contest.

Upon seeing Sam's body in the tiny swim suit, Jack's not-so-little colonel stood at attention, tenting his pants to the point that he thought it might push right through the fabric of his beige Dockers. He couldn't remember ever experiencing this strong a reaction in a public place before, and the experience almost made him want to run and hide. But there was no way he was going to miss this! Doing a little dance to try and rearrange his erection to a more comfortable position, Jack waited nervously for the whistle to sound. When it did, the two women stepped into the pool of blue Jell-O and began moving slowly around the perimeter, jockeying for position. In less than five seconds Capt. Walters had Sam on her belly in the blue stuff, bending one long Carter leg up over her back. Jack cursed an appropriately blue streak, throwing his fist up in the air, and causing everyone near him to glance his way. Unaware of his audience, the Colonel began to edge closer to the pool, forgetting the telltale bulge in his pants as he shoved people aside in his eagerness to get closer to the action.

Suddenly Sam maneuvered her way out from under Captain Walters, who was a few inches shorter than Sam but about ten pounds heavier. Sam got up quickly and easily jumped to one side, just as Amy dived to tackle her. Slipping and unable to stop herself, Amy flew out of the pool and landed on the floor on her face with a resounding splat. The referee blew his whistle, and the match was called to a halt while two members of Amy's unit went to her aid. Sam wiped the Jell-O out of her eyes and slicked her hair back off her face. Then she stood there to one side, her arms wrapped across her chest protectively.

Teal'c used the break in the action as an opportunity to give a knowing nod to his co-conspirator, Daniel. But Daniel had a very affectionate doctor wrapped around his neck and didn't notice the big Jaffa looking at him. To Teal'c it seemed that Daniel Jackson was the one benefiting from this mating ritual, instead of Jack O'Neill. He decided that more research would need to be done on this matter, and turned back to enjoy the remainder of the match.

While Jack waited with the rest to see what would happen next, his erection had time to deflate somewhat, but his heart was still hammering in his chest with excitement. He had seen his 2iC in hand-to-hand combat only once before, but that time she had been fully clothed. This time there was little left to the imagination, as her suit bottom rode up her firm buttocks, and the top barely contained her full, plump breasts. Sam tugged at the bathing suit bottom as she waited to see if the fight would continue. Jack almost had a stroke when she turned her back to him and he saw a small tattoo on one smooth mound. Due to the fact that it was covered in a thin film of blue, he was unable to tell what it was.

And so he just stared at it, his mind in a sort of limbo until things began to happen. Amy was helped to stand up and was led off down the back hallway to a round of applause. Then the bartender announced that the fight couldn't go on, because Amy had knocked out a tooth and was being taken for emergency medical treatment. A few men in the crowd booed, but no one seemed to want to leave. Then there was some discussion between the bartender and a group of marines, among them, Captain Jeff Thornton, the one who had won the earlier match.

Jack watched as the bartender spoke to Sam, who nodded her head in return. Then it was announced that Thornton would fill in for Amy, so that the money that had been bet would not have to be refunded. Having seen the marine's prowess in the earlier match, as well as his overly-zealous attitude, Jack was very concerned for Sam. He pushed and shoved his way to the front of the crowd and called out to Sam.

"Hey, Carter, I don't think this is such a good idea!" Jack yelled at her. Sam glanced his way, but just then the whistle blew and she had to dodge her opponent when he lunged for her. But Jack was not about to just stand by and watch his 2iC get the crap beat out of her by this guy, and so he stepped into the pool, his hands out toward the marine. "Come on now, stop this!" Jack yelled at him.

"Hey, old man, get out of the way!" the younger man yelled at Jack.

"Let them fight!" yelled a man in the crowd. "Get him outa there!" someone else screamed. And now everyone in the place was yelling for Jack to get out of the way, including Sam who shouted and waved her arms, trying to get him to leave. She was standing there in nothing but two small scraps of fabric. Her hair was plastered to her head, and there were hundreds of small pieces of the blue dessert congealed on her long lean thighs and her thin shapely arms, and Jack thought she looked good enough to eat. He also thought she looked young and defenseless.

"Sir! Sir, don t worry! I can take care of myself!" she yelled at her CO, as the bartender tried to reach Jack without actually stepping into the pool himself.

"Come on, Colonel, let the kids fight!" the bartender yelled at him. But Jack wasn't about to give up.

"Carter, I saw this guy in the first match! He doesn't play by the rules!" Jack yelled.

"Why you old son of a bitch!" the younger man growled, as he heard the insult to his reputation. And that was when Thornton took a sudden swing at Jack.

Fortunately Jack figured the guy might react this way. He saw the punch coming and ducked. At the same time he jabbed the marine in the gut with his left hand and swung hard with his right as he straightened up, hitting the marine square in the jaw. Thornton landed on his back with a squash and a thump. The crowd cheered and applauded when Jack's punches made contact, but they quickly fell silent as they watched three of Thornton's comrades lift his limp body out of the pool and carry him away. The crowd figured the show was over, so with disappointed murmurs and shaking heads they began to disperse.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

Jack had just knocked out the marine who was about to do battle with Carter, and now he was faced with a very pissed off 2iC. The crowd had started to thin out, obviously upset by this turn of events. But soon their attention was drawn back to the two screaming people who stood facing each other in the pool of blue Jell-O.

"Sir, you had no right to do that! I don't need you or anyone else fighting my battles for me!" Sam yelled, her face beet red. Her friends had never seen her quite so angry before. Jack's over-protective reaction was also surprising them, although they thought this unusual situation could certainly be blamed for it.

"Sam, I'm only trying to protect you!" Jack yelled over the boos of the crowd, many of whom still wanted to see a wrestling match, not a yelling contest. And what they really didn't want to see was this older guy intent on ruining their good time.

"I don't need your protection, Sir!" she screamed back at him.

One of the loudest protesters let fly with a string of insults, the least of which was, "Why don't you let your daughter have a good time, you old fart!" Daniel cringed, praying that Jack would ignore the asshole, while Teal'c just blinked and Janet's face went white as a sheet. None of them wanted to see Jack get arrested for participating in a bar fight!

"If this is the way you conduct yourself in public, then I have to disagree, Captain!" Jack yelled, his face flushing dark red as his eyes wandered down her body. Her arms and legs were covered in a blue sheen, but the Jell-0 did nothing to cover her naked flesh, and it was all he could do not to jump her right there in front of everyone. The fact was he wasn't just worried about her getting hurt. What really bugged the hell out of him was that she was almost naked in front of hundreds of other men!

Sam saw the leering look Jack gave her, his eyes slowly raking over her body before coming to rest on her breasts. She also saw the telltale bulge in his pants, and her anger tripled. "You hypocritical, male chauvinist son of a bitch! You're just like all the rest, aren't you?! Why did I think you were any different?!" she cried, and then she took an unexpected swing at him, landing a sucker punch with her right fist...right on his nose!

"Nice one," he congratulated her as he gingerly felt his nose. His hand came away without blood on it, so he figured most likely it wasn't broken. It did hurt like hell though. "You wanna fight with a man, Sam? Okay, let's see what you've got!" Jack yelled at her, holding his hands out away from his body, as he moved sideways around the pool in a sort of crouching stance.

And then Jack lunged for her. Sam tried to dodge away from him, but wound up with his arms around her and his face pressed against her side as they fell into the blue, slippery mess beneath them. The patrons, most of whom had returned to the scene by now, let out a frenzied whoop as they watched the two Air Force officers wrestle around in the Jell-O, many thinking that this match had turned out to be way more interesting than the first one after all. The bartender knew a good match up when he saw one and returned to the pool, his whistle in his hand. And although he had seen these two in here on many occasions, he'd never seen them going at each other verbally as they just had...and certainly not as they were now! In his thirty-some years as a bartender, he had never seen a worse case of sexual tension!

Daniel, Teal'c and Janet looked on from their spot at the back of the room, as their two friends rolled around in the Jell-O, sometimes disappearing for several seconds beneath the surface of the blue stuff. The crowd roared each time Sam got the upper hand, her bare limbs wrapped around Jack's clothed ones. But soon she would disappear into the muck again, and Jack would be holding onto her for all his was worth, trying to keep her slippery body from getting away from him. He was fast discovering that Jell-O made holding onto naked flesh very difficult indeed.

"Do you think we should do something?" Daniel called out, his question directed to both his friends, although he really didn't expect an answer. Everyone in the place was into the match, even Teal'c and Janet.

"Are you kidding! I think this is just what those two need!" Janet yelled, trying to be heard above the din of the crowd. This time she was sitting on Daniel's shoulders, her straight skirt hiked up around her hips, as she hung onto his head with both hands. She screamed and pulled Daniel's hair, when she saw that Sam was on her face in the Jell-O and Jack was laying on top of her. Watching the Colonel slip and slide along Sam's backside, Janet couldn't help but wonder how much the man was getting out of this little exhibition. She had noticed his bulging pants when he'd first gotten into the pool, and it didn't take a medical professional to know a raging hard-on when she saw one!

"That's it, Colonel, you've got her! Whoohee!" Janet shouted, pounding her fist on the top of poor Daniel's head. He reached up and grabbed her hands to still them, but wound up holding on, their fingers laced together and squeezing. Janet, who was really feeling a sexual buzz by this time, bent down and kissed the handsome archaeologist on the top of his head, before giving her attention back to her two gooey friends. Daniel's smile grew even larger.

Jack, who had never felt this kind of rush before in his entire life, was in a sort of euphoria. He knew they were not alone, but for a moment he imagined they were. Sam struggled to get out from under him, and without thinking he secured her wrists above her head in his big hands, while his legs held hers in a scissors-like vice grip. Unbidden, his hips did a little pivot as they rocked forward and back. It seemed as though they lay there for an eternity, his erection pressing into her ass, while Jack's mind imagined he was holding her down on a bed and pounding into her from behind. A shrill noise suddenly pierced his daydream and he immediately stopped moving.

When the whistle blew, Jack quickly let go of her and managed to stand up, his athletic shoes giving him exactly the traction needed to rise without slipping. Just as Jack reached a hand down to help Sam up, he saw the tattoo of a yellow rose on the upper slope of one ass cheek, and the unexpected sight made him pause for just a second.

Sam, who was sputtering and choking, flipped over and saw his outstretched hand, but she slapped it away. Then she got up, slipping a few times until she managed to step out of the pool. Jack stepped out behind her and reached out to touch Sam's shoulder. She pulled away as though burnt, giving him a look that would have turned a lesser man to stone.

"Come on, Carter! No hard feelings!" he shouted, but Sam ignored him and kept on walking, her swaying ass and that damned tattoo mocking him as she went.

Jack just stood there for a few seconds and watched her go to the bar, where she picked up her towel and robe before walking out of sight, down the hallway. Meanwhile the crowd was clapping and cheering, and several people slapped Jack on the back as he stepped out of the pool. He shrugged them off with a wave of his hands and stomped off toward the back hallway, dripping Jell-O as he went. Jack felt chilled through and through except between his legs, where his groin felt like someone was holding a blow torch to his nuts. He knew that if he didn't get some relief soon, he was gonna explode, but first he had to find Sam! Figuring she had gone to get cleaned up, he tried the door to the ladies' room. Finding it unlocked, he opened it and stepped inside. There were two women inside washing their hands. They looked at him curiously.

"Sorry! I'm looking for Sam," he said without an explanation. One of them pointed.

"She went out the back," she said, and Jack did an about face and headed for the back door. The rear of the building faced the alley. Jack waited a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, before he began to head around the side of the building in the direction of the parking lot. He didn't get far however, before he heard the sound of water splashing, and the sound was coming from somewhere behind him.

His intuition made him turn around and walk quietly toward the sound. Just as he passed a large industrial-sized trash container that sat between O'Malley's and the building next door, he saw her, her blonde hair illuminated by the light of a single bulb above the door. Sam was standing in an alcove at the back door of the neighboring building. She had obviously found a faucet with a hose attached and was trying to remove some of the sticky blue film that coated her body, before getting into her car. Jack stepped back a foot or two, not wanting Sam to see him just yet. He knew that the two of them had some unfinished business, and that they'd have to talk about what had happened at some point, but currently he felt too angry to have a reasonable conversation with her. What he really wanted...what he really needed...was relief from the raging hard-on she'd given him.

From his vantage point, Jack watched as Sam untied the back of her bathing suit, letting the top hang from her neck as she scrubbed at her breasts with one hand. She had her back to him at first, but slowly she turned around and Jack got a good look at her bare breasts as the water sluiced over them. And that was all it took for his willpower to break in two. With a growl deep in his throat, Jack stalked the twenty feet to where she was standing. Upon seeing him, Sam dropped the hose and clapped her arms across her chest.

"Colonel! What are you..." she began, but her words were cut off by Jack's mouth coming down hard on hers. His arms encircled her body, pulling it hard into his, her arms trapped between them. Her words of protest were swallowed between his lips, as his tongue took the opportunity to ravage her mouth, plunging down her throat before sweeping over her palate and teeth like a flame licking at a burning building. The incendiary reaction he was engendering in her womb caused Sam to melt under him, as her arms fought to free themselves.

She could feel herself falling, and her arms instinctively slipped around his waist as she fought to hold on to some small modicum of control. One of Jack's big hands cupped the back of her head, while the other squeezed a firm yet soft globe of her ass. Taking over completely Jack walked forward, carrying her along like a rag doll, until he was pressing her body against the wall of the building. His fingers latched onto the elastic of her bathing suit bottom and he yanked it down hard, a grunt escaping his lips. His hand swept up her thigh, and then he palmed one firm ass cheek while his mouth blazed a trail of hot kisses down her jaw, her neck and finally to her breasts. Sam began to moan her approval as his thin lips latched onto one turgescent nipple. But then his teeth bit down hard enough to bruise.

"Damn you!" she yelped, but her voice was just a hoarse whisper, and it could not be heard by the bar patrons in O'Malley's parking lot.

Many were already calling it an evening, including Janet, Daniel and Teal'c who had to work the next day. When they saw that Jack's truck was still there, as well as Sam's car, they didn't know what to think. But figuring that the two had probably gone someplace to talk things out, and that they were old enough to take care of themselves, the three got into Daniel's car and drove off.

Meanwhile behind the building next door to O'Malley's Bar and Grill, Jack had Sam were about to scratch an itch that had been bothering them for many months, ever since they had first met. At first he had thought she was a stuck up, conceited bitch of a scientist who would ruin his team, and Sam had thought Jack was stupid, self-centered, and arrogant. But gradually each had begun to appreciate the other in ways that had surprised them. And even though neither one would admit it, given the regulations that forbid them having any kind of personal relationship, they both had a burning desire to fuck the other senseless, just to see if doing so would be as good as they thought it might be. And right now Jack's libido was urging him to hurry up and do it, before Sam had a chance to change her mind.

Jack took a chance and let her go, dropping down into a crouch as he pulled her swim suit bottom down her long legs. Sam's hand clung to his shoulders while she stepped out of it, and then she gasped as he buried his nose between her legs, inhaling the scent of her arousal as though she was a rose in a garden. Her hands flew to his silvered hair, tugging it between her fingers as Jack kissed his way up her mons and over her belly, before once again covering her lips with his.

"I've wanted to do this to you for so long," he admitted in a whispered voice, his hot breath caressing her face.

"I know. I've wanted you to," she admitted in return, as her hands went to the button and zipper of his pants. His clothes felt wet, cold and very uncomfortable against her skin. But once they'd managed to pull his pants and boxers out of the way and she was finally able to feel his erection, his flesh felt warm and oh, so inviting. Jack somehow managed to toe out of his shoes, and then he stepped out of his soiled pants and shorts. Sam's hands met his at the bottom of his t-shirt, and together they pulled upward until he was rid of it too. With one quick tug, he untied Sam's bathing suit top, and it dropped from her neck, leaving her as naked as he was.

Jack looked down at her and she at him, and they both grinned like kids in a candy store.

"You're really hot," he said. "So are you!" she responded.

"Sir, I suggest we hurry up. It's cold out here," Sam said with a shudder that reverberated throughout her body. Jack ran his hands up and down her backside and smiled, amazed that he was about to get something he'd wanted for quite some time.

"Never let it be said that I caused my 2iC to catch a chill, Captain," he said as he placed his hands under her butt and lifted her up. Sam's legs clutched at his waist, keeping her body elevated for his penetration. As she clung to his shoulders, he moved his hands...one to the back of her hip and the other to his cock. Holding himself firmly he brought the large purple head to her small opening, wetting it first with her juices before pushing into her. At first he pushed gently, but he didn't make any headway. Then he flexed his muscles and pushed harder. He felt just the head pop past her tight entrance, and that was when everything changed...for the worse.

"Ow! Sir!" she cried, her legs shaking as she tried to cling to him. Jack had heard the anxiety in her voice, and he was suddenly afraid to move.

"What? Do you want me to stop?" Jack asked, wondering if Sam was changing her mind. Maybe they should stop before this went any farther, he thought as he sucked in a breath of cold air. His nuts were beginning to feel like snowballs by now anyway!

"Uh, maybe we should, Sir. I'm sorry. It's just that I haven't done this in a while," she admitted, wondering why she was telling him something so potentially embarrassing. Would he wonder why it had been a while? Would he think no other man found her appealing enough to fuck her? Oh, my God...would he think she was a tease? After all, she could have told him to stop when he'd first approached her, but she hadn't.

"Okay," he said, pulling out. He set her down on her feet and quickly reached for his wet clothes. His erection, which had seemed so urgent a few seconds ago, was quickly shrinking in the cold night air. Jack stood there with his clothing clutched in front of him, watching as Sam went to the fence between the buildings.

"I'm sorry. I'm just so cold that I can't relax. Do you wanna come back to my place?" she asked him as she put on her terry cloth robe. It had been hanging on the chain link fence next to the trash dumpster. Her shoes and the towel she had brought with her were there too, and now she handed the large beach towel to Jack, who decided to wear it instead of his wet clothing. He'd just have to pray that he wouldn't get stopped by a cop on the way home, as his state of undress would take a lot of explaining.

"Okay. I'll follow you." He slipped on his shoes and watched while Sam stepped into hers. Then they walked quickly to their respective cars. Jack got into his truck and waited for her to start out. He drove along behind her old sedan, and in twenty minutes they were pulling up in front of her small bungalow.

At this point Sam was glad that it was so late, as it wasn't likely her nosy neighbor would see them at this hour. A man running up to her front door dressed only in a towel was just the kind of gossip her neighbor Mrs. Moffet would love to spread! Sam got out of her car and hurried to unlock her front door. But when she turned around, Jack still hadn't gotten out of his truck. Too shocked to move, Sam watched from her front door as Jack's truck slowly pulled away from the curb and headed off down the street.

"Well, damn! What's the matter with him?" she said aloud. Then she went inside and slammed the door shut. She was angry and frustrated, but more than anything she was disappointed.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three

By the time Jack had driven to Sam's house, he was having some major doubts. It wasn't just the frat regs, although they did weigh heavily on his mind, as did her career. He didn't much want to lose his career either, now that he had been given an assignment he actually enjoyed. Oh, sure Daniel could be a pain in the ass sometimes, and some of the planets they visited were downright inhospitable, but for the most part this wormhole travel thing was a real hoot!

No, even more than all of that was something Sam had said to him. Earlier at O'Malley's she had called him a male chauvinist. And she said he was a hypocrite...that he was just like all other men. So, if he understood her correctly, she thought he only pretended to think of her as an equal, when in reality he thought of her as a female, and therefore somehow inferior. And since Jack believed that generally in the heat of anger people said the things they were truly feeling, he couldn't forget what Sam had said. And now, even though tried to ignore what she had accused him of, he began to have doubts about himself and his treatment of her. Suddenly the truth hit him like a ton of bricks.

The truth of the matter was that he did think of her differently than the guys. How could he not? After all, she wasn't just a capable Air Force officer; she was also a very feminine, lovely woman that the old-fashioned man in him wanted to love and protect! So far he had been able to control his natural impulse to mollycoddle her. At least he thought he had. But if they had sex, and he allowed his feelings for her to grow, he knew there was no way he could keep from showing her preference or becoming over-protective of her. So, rather than take the chance that sex with Carter would ruin their working relationship and their careers, he decided to take the high road and do the right thing. And although he hated to admit it, Jack decided he finally understood exactly why those frat regs existed.

Since the next day was Thursday and SG-1 was on the duty roster for a mission to P3X-121, both Jack and Sam were in the briefing room at the scheduled hour. General Hammond made quick work of going over their mission goals, and soon SG-1 was heading down to the gate room.

Since Jack had been late getting to base and he hadn't seen him in the locker room earlier, Daniel was itching to talk to Jack about what had happened after they left O'Malley's. But now he feared that subject would have to wait until they got back to Earth, unless this planet turned out to be even more boring than predicted. As SG-1 walked up the gate ramp together, Daniel stifled a yawn while he thought back to the discussion he'd had with Janet, as he drove her home the night before.

*~*~*~*  
She had insisted that this thing between Sam and the Colonel was unavoidable...that the inevitability of it happening between the two was fated, while Daniel reminded Janet of the fraternization regulations.

"Believe me, I know all that, Daniel. I'm just telling you what I've observed and what I believe. Sam and Jack are in love, and they are destined to be together, even if they don't know it yet," she insisted.

"Do you believe that they are currently acting on their feelings, Dr. Frasier?" Teal'c had asked. When they'd found Jack's truck and Sam's car in the parking lot, all three of them had wondered where their two friends had gone and what they were doing. The two nearby motels had not gone unnoticed by the three, although not one of them mentioned them.

"I certainly hope so, Teal'c! And if they are, they have my full support! People who risk everything for their planet almost every day of the week like those two do, deserve some happiness," she said with feeling, tears glistening in her brown eyes. Even though she'd had one failed marriage, Janet was still a romantic at heart.

Daniel reached out and patted her hand where it lay in her lap. Then he moved their hands to his thigh. He smiled at her and she smiled back, batting her long dark eyelashes at him. He sort of felt like the two of them had taken some kind of giant step tonight, but he knew this wasn't the time or the place to discuss exactly where they'd go from here; their big friend currently sat in the back seat of the car, and Daniel was responsible for getting the Jaffa back to base before the midnight curfew.

"Although I agree with you, Jan, I do have to wonder what will happen to SG-1 if they do consummate their relationship," Daniel commented.

"Indeed!" Teal'c intoned.  
*~*~*~*

Six hours after they left the gate room, SG-1 was running for their lives with a group of twenty-some humanoid locals chasing after them, each one waving some sort of primitive weapon. They wielded bows and arrows, spears, something similar to an Aborigine boomerang, and even a sort of sling shot that was sending fist-sized rocks hurtling past their heads.

"I think they want to add us to the stew!" Daniel yelled as they huffed and puffed up the trail toward the stargate. He hated being unable to reason with people! And so his conscience contemplated where things had begun to go wrong. They had been treated very hospitably by the locals when they'd first arrived. In fact they had been 'wined and dined' as it were. And the chief had even taken a real liking to Jack, which in itself was a sort of minor victory for SG-1.

But when the chief had suggested a union between his very young daughter and the outspoken colonel, Jack had said something that had insulted her and/or him, or perhaps even their ancestors. Daniel didn't know enough of the language just yet to figure it all out, but he knew when they were in deep shit. Without a doubt, the leader had not taken Jack's remarks or attitude kindly. And since Jack refused to apologize, and no amount of ass-kissing by Daniel could lessen their leader's ire, SG-1 was now having to high-tail it out of the village, chased by a couple dozen of the tribe's finest warriors.

"You're kidding about the stew, right?" Jack huffed as he sprinted toward the first rise.

"No! Didn't you see all of those skulls in the chief's trophy room?" Daniel asked as he led the team up the path. After they'd eaten, the chief had taken them to see his treasure trove, as though it might impress the Colonel into changing his mind. Much of the loot had been skulls and long bones, such as femurs, but some of it was what appeared to be gemstones set in pieces crafted of metal, like cups, crowns and jewelry.

"Yah, but I thought they were just...well, trophies!" Jack replied.

"They were! Primitive people frequently eat their rivals, Jack. It's considered good luck, at least to the victor."

"So lunch was what exactly?" Jack asked, feeling his stomach lurch as he continued to pound up the path.

"Your guess is as good as mine. Did you see any cattle or other livestock, Jack?" Daniel shouted back as they all kept running. Jack didn't reply this time as a mass of arrows hissed past their heads. He was still trying to get his head around the idea that he might have eaten part of someone's uncle Albert, when he suddenly began to pay more attention to the sky.

It had been a thick gray all morning, but it was fast turning black, and large snow flakes were beginning to fall. Jack thought it looked much like a winter's day in Duluth, which normally wouldn't have fazed him one bit. But if they got stuck on this planet, the weather could play a major part in whether or not SG-1 survived this mission.

"Well, this just sucks! Move it, Captain!" Jack said as he urged Carter to run faster, his hand pressed against her ass when they came to a steep portion of the trail.

"I can make it by myself, Colonel," she hissed harshly at him, and Jack quickly removed his hand. Her tone was as cold as the air or colder.

Jack and Sam stopped to fire a few rounds into the air, hoping to scare off their pursuers. And then the trail leveled out for a bit and they were running as fast as they could through a rocky pass in the side of a mountain, when some of their adversaries began to gain on them. Jack knew the stargate was just over the next hill and down in a small clearing, but he wasn't sure they could all make it before the angry mob overtook them.

"Move it! I really don't wanna have to kill any of these folks," Jack yelled as he urged his teammates to increase their speed. He turned around as he ran, slowing his progress as he began firing at the ground. He was trying to make sure he didn't hit anyone, but the loud shots seemed to have no effect on the irate citizens, who just kept running at SG-1.

Just then an arrow flew over Sam and Jack's heads and pierced the back of Teal'c's thigh. The big man didn't go down, but instead pulled it out and kept on running. Daniel was in front of him, and Jack figured the archaeologist would easily be at the DHD in only a few minutes. Just then Daniel and Teal'c disappeared around a bend in the narrow passage, and at about the same time a spear just missed Carter's right shoulder. Jack grabbed her arm and pulled her roughly to the left side of the trail, which was really the only direction they could go. They crouched down behind some boulders while Jack decided what to do next. He knew that in this narrow, winding passageway the villagers were only shooting blindly at them now, but that last shot had been way too close for his liking. He had already seen Teal'c get hit by one lucky shot. He was not about to see Sam get hit by another!

Crouched down with their faces near the ground they could hear feet pounding up the path toward them, and so they did the only thing left to them; they backed away from the path and hid in the undergrowth. Meanwhile, in the near distance they could hear the sounds of the stargate spinning and the chevrons clanking home. At least they knew that Daniel had reached the DHD safely. The villagers, their weapons raised, passed their location at about the same instant as the seventh chevron locked into place

The men were shouting animatedly, but Jack had no idea what they were saying. 'Probably something like death to the infidels!' Jack thought, as he watched the hide-covered legs of his pursuers pass his location. For several more minutes Jack and Sam continued to hear lot of shouting, and then an ominous silence ensued. That was when Jack felt Sam's body shudder, and he realized he was still gripping her arm. Apparently she had noticed it too.

"I can take care of myself, Sir!" Sam hissed, as she pulled her arm out of his grasp. She had snowflakes in her blonde hair and on her eyelashes, and Jack really wanted to take her into his arms to warm and protect her. But he knew that right now he had to keep his mind on finding them a safe place to hide, at least until this storm abated. If only the MALP they had sent here the day before had been able to predict this storm, Jack groused to himself as he peered out from his hiding place.

Soon the men who had been chasing them came down the path, obviously heading back to the village. Jack and Sam watched from their hiding place, relieved not to see their two teammates. So either Daniel and Teal'c had made it through the gate, they escaped and were hiding somewhere over the next hill, or they were dead, their bodies left behind. After what Daniel had told him, Jack sort of doubted the last scenario was true, but that still offered him little consolation. He really wanted to know what had happened to his two friends, but the storm was simply getting too intense for he and Sam to stay out here any longer.

The wind had begun to howl through the canyon, blowing the snow around like cotton candy being spun in one of those big machines, only this stuff was white and freezing cold like icy splinters that pricked his skin. Jack knew they had to find shelter, and so he decided to search the area for a rock overhang, or anyplace where he and Sam could hole up until this storm blew over.

"Come on, Captain, let's look for shelter," he ordered as he headed away from the trail. It wasn't long before they came to a sharp drop off. Jack was about to suggest they go to the right and avoid the steep terrain, when he saw an outcropping of rocks below them...one that might have a large enough area beneath it to provide some shelter from the snow and wind.

"Stay here," he said as he began to slide down the hillside, landing on his butt and getting up quickly before sliding down even further. But instead of Sam staying put, she followed him and soon was balancing on the sloping ground next to him.

"I guess you aren't ever gonna do as I tell you again, are you?" he asked, his teeth chattering from the cold.

"Not when you intend to leave me out here in a blizzard all alone, I'm not," she replied smartly.

"I see you've still got your sense of humor," Jack laughed as he pointed at a small space under the big boulders. It wasn't much of a shelter, but it was better than nothing. "Look, Captain! It ain't the Hyatt, but it should help some," he quipped. Sam climbed carefully toward the rocks, slipping and sliding on the steep, snowy terrain. Suddenly she reached forward and grabbed onto some loose brush, pulling it away from the boulders.

"It's better than you think, Sir! It's a den!" she cried as a two-foot-wide hole was revealed. Jack tossed a few rocks inside, and when he didn't hear anything growl in response, he began to move forward.

"Let's hope nobody's home," he said as he drew his revolver and got down on his knees. Both Sam and Jack held their side arms in front of them in one hand and their flashlights in the other as they got down on their knees and elbows and crawled through the small opening. The interior space was small, probably only six feet wide and four feet deep, and the height barely allowed them to sit up, but it would do for now. Hopefully, after the storm let up, they could get to the gate and go home.

"Okay, one of us is gonna have to get out, while the other one makes up a place for us to sleep," he said, as he sat looking around the small space. Sam scooted backward and sat bent over at the entrance, obviously waiting for Jack to take care of things. Jack shrugged out of his back pack and unfastened the bedroll from the bottom, before handing the pack to Sam. Then he rolled out the sleeping bag and asked her for hers. She gave it to him and watched as he put it on top of his, zipping the two together to form one large bed, which covered the entire floor of the small space. He had to kneel on top of it once he got the bed arranged, and then he began taking his boots off. He set them on the ground under the far end of the sleeping bags and scooted over to the back wall of the little den, making room for Sam to come back inside.

"Okay, come on in and make yourself at home," he said jovially, waving his hand over the small space that was roughly the size of a twin bed. Sam tossed him his back pack, which he put under his head, and moved forward, turning around before sitting with her back to him. She shrugged out of her pack and took out two granola bars, before putting her pack next to his, at the head end of their makeshift bed. Then she untied her boots and took them off, placing them under the foot end of the bed, just as Jack had done with his.

"I'm gonna complain to the management tomorrow about the size of this room," Jack said with a laugh. Sam didn't laugh or even smile, and her face looked downright scary in the light from their two flashlights. Jack figured she was still mad at him for not coming inside last night, and he couldn't really blame her. He just wished she'd lighten up a bit. It was bad enough that they were stuck here on this iceberg!

For a minute she sat there chewing on one of the granola bars, while Jack stared at her back.

"You gonna give me one of those?" he asked quietly, and Sam turned just enough to hand the unopened bar to him. They sat there and ate their meager meal for a couple of minutes. Finally Sam slipped her legs under the upper bag and laid down, pulling the zipper up along the side.

She was now zipped up inside a sleeping bag with Jack O'Neill and feeling like this nightmare between her and him had just multiplied ten times over! She had made a fool of herself behind O'Malley's the night before. Then she had invited him to her house with the expectation of having sex with him, and he had rejected her, leaving her standing on her front porch as he drove away. And just when she was sure that her life couldn't get any worse, now they were stuck here on this God-forsaken planet, and he expected her to sleep in the same sleeping bag with him!

Sam turned on her side and faced the entrance to the den, her knees slightly bent. Jack was not able to lie down straight anyway, since he was taller than the width of the den, so he also turned on his side and bent his knees. Then Jack put his arm around Sam's waist and pulled her toward him, thinking that sharing body heat might keep them warmer, since the sleeping bags they had with them were not rated for below twenty-two degrees. He wasn't really surprised when he felt her body stiffen under his arm.

"Captain Carter, I'm not trying to hit on you. I'm just trying to share body heat."

"Like in that ice cave?" she asked, thinking back to just last year when they'd been stranded in Antarctica. She'd always had pleasant memories of that time, even though it had been frightening at the time, with Jack injured and them thinking they were stranded on an ice planet.

"Yah, like that. Now go to sleep, Captain," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," she replied drowsily. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all, Sam thought, as she let go of her resentment and simply relaxed into his embrace. After all, she admitted to herself, in Jack's arms was exactly where she wanted to be.

He could tell when Sam had fallen asleep, and soon he fell asleep too, dreaming of Sam on a beach with blue waves washing over her naked body. And there on her butt was that little yellow rose.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four

AN: If you want to download the entire story now, you can go to .com.

General Hammond had watched in shock as Daniel and Teal'c had come bursting from the wormhole, running down the gate ramp at full speed, as arrows and spears came hurtling through the event horizon. The projectiles crashed against the walls, nearly striking the two men, while the General looked on from the control room above.

"Close the iris!" Daniel yelled, looking up. Then he dropped to the floor and covered his head with his hands. In an unprecedented move, Teal'c did the same. He may have been a Jaffa warrior, but he was no fool. He'd also been hit by one of those arrows, and he had not intention of suffering the same fate again!

"Dr. Jackson, Teal'c, where are Col. O'Neill and Captain Carter?" Hammond asked as he looked down at the two men.

"I am uncertain! But I do not believe they are coming!" Teal'c shouted. Daniel just stayed where he was.

A few more spears flew into the room, followed by a man dressed in crude animal hide clothing. He was holding a spear above his head as he came to a halt on the gate ramp. His eyes opened wide in shock and he looked up at General Hammond, just as the General gave the order to close the iris.

At the same moment six marines came running into the room, surrounding the shocked alien, who stood still, seemingly frozen to the spot. The marines approached the man, pointing their rifles at him, while Daniel stood up and stepped forward, speaking to the man in his native tongue. Daniel told the alien that if he put down his weapon, he would not be harmed.

"Go with these men," Daniel told him. He did as asked, and the marines escorted the man out of the room.

"Dr. Jackson, I want your report immediately!" Hammond bellowed. Daniel could find no argument with that, but he looked up and told the General that Teal'c had been shot with an arrow and really should get immediate medical treatment. Hammond agreed and sent Teal'c off to the infirmary, while Daniel ran up the stairs to the control room. Hammond met him at the top of the stairs, eager to hear what had happened to the other half of his premier off-world team.

"Dr. Jackson, what happened?"

"It's sort of a long story, Sir. But the short version is that I think Sam and Jack are still alive, and we've got to send help!"

"I'll consider doing that, son. But first I have to know what happened!"

"We were running for our lives, and I guess they fell behind when Jack stopped to shoot at the villagers. I think they were probably captured without a fight, because I didn't hear any sounds of a struggle. Or they may have taken cover and could be hiding somewhere. Please, General, we've got to send a rescue team! I'll go! I'm the only one who can talk to these people," Daniel rattled off in his usual fast way of speaking.

"Dr. Jackson, I will take what you've said into consideration. But I'm not sending anyone through to that planet, until I know exactly what went on there! Now come to my office and sit down. We'll get you a cup of coffee and you can tell me everything from the beginning."

An hour and two cups of coffee later, Hammond had heard the whole story. He had to chuckle when Daniel told him the part about Jack refusing to marry the chief's daughter. Thinking that maybe they could use the alien in their custody as a sort of liaison, Hammond and Daniel went to seek the prisoner's assistance. However, the prisoner had decided not to talk to Daniel or anyone but his gods. All he did was repeat what Daniel explained was a prayer...over and over and over again. It was a prayer that his people would be free of the demons among them. Daniel explained that to these primitive people, killing and consuming the bodies of their enemy was the only way to get rid of the so-called demons. That fact made both men very worried about the two missing members of the SGC.

And so it was decided that, rather than risk the lives of anymore SGC personnel, they would attempt to contact Col. O'Neill and Captain Carter by radio, in order to ascertain their condition. To Daniel and Hammond's shock, the final chevron locked into place, but the wormhole did not establish. The technicians in the gate room diagnosed the problem as being on the other end. Something had happened to the gate on the planet, and there was nothing they could do from this end to help their missing comrades.

The next morning on the planet, Jack awoke to find a very warm and soft Captain Samantha Carter curled up in his arms, her head tucked under his chin. When they had fallen asleep she had been facing away from him, but now she was snuggled up to him chest to chest, hip to hip, and she had one of her legs in between his. In this position he could feel his morning woody pressing against her mons. It they were naked, he could have very easily slipped inside her. 'Damn it!' he thought with frustration. 'You had your chance, and you turned it down. Don't go second guessing your decision now!'

Jack hated to ruin this very cozy situation, but he really had to pee!

Sam awoke to something...or someone...in bed next to her, which seemed very nice but at the same time odd. Gradually her befuddled brain remembered that the bed under her was not a bed after all, but the hard ground inside an animal den, and the body that she was crushed up against was none of than that of her CO!

"Holy Hannah!" Sam shouted as she pushed against Jack's chest and wiggled backward and away from him as fast as she could.

"Yes, well... Sorry to wake you, Carter, but I've really gotta get outside and take a leak," Jack said in his usual earthy manner.

Without another word between them Sam and Jack tugged on their boots. Then she got on her knees and bent low, facing the entrance of the den, which was now almost entirely buried in snow. Using her bare hands to push the white stuff out of the way, she finally managed to open a space large enough to crawl through. Jack followed her, his much larger shoulders gouging a wider path out of the hole. He stood up, happy to find that the snow had stopped, even though the sky was still dark and cloudy. He told her he'd be right back, and then he headed off to the left where some large shrubs would provide him some privacy.

That she hadn't said a word to him so far weighed heavily on his heart. Jack was sure that Sam was still very upset about what had happened behind O'Malley's, and he knew they should talk about it. But right now he figured it was more important to get the two of them back to the SGC. With that in mind he returned to his 2iC, who was just getting back from her own little trip to the facilities.

"Let's go dial the gate and get the hell outa here," Jack said. Sam glanced quickly at him and then dropped her eyes to the ground as she nodded her head in agreement. And so they gathered up their sleeping bags and started up the steep hill. Jack led the way with his 2iC following along behind him. Seven minutes later when they got to the stargate, they saw that one of the chevrons had fallen onto the ground. Obviously it had been hit by one of those idiots as they threw spears and rocks at Daniel and Teal'c!

"Normally I would say this was a lucky hit, but in this case it doesn't appear to be good luck for us, Captain," Jack said quietly as he nudged the large piece of metal with the toe of his boot. "I don't suppose you can fix it?"

"Only with a blow torch and a very tall ladder, Sir," Sam said shortly. But the tone of her voice said even more. They were screwed, and they both knew it.

Back at the SGC, George Hammond had already notified the Tok'ra via their last known gate address. They hadn't yet responded, and Hammond wasn't even certain if they would. But he felt obligated, as an old friend of Jacob Carter, to let him know what was happening to his daughter. George prayed that the Tok'ra High Council would agree to notify their newest member. Jacob Carter had only been with the Tok'ra for a few weeks, so exactly how much help the SGC could expect from his symbiote Selmac, or their new Tok'ra allies in general, was as yet unknown.

And since their interaction with the Asgard had only been due to accidents...one involving Col. O'Neill and an ancient device that had filled his brain with more knowledge than it could handle...Hammond had no idea how to contact the little gray aliens.

So for now it looked like his hands were tied. All he could do was pray that, if Sam and Jack were still alive, they would somehow be able to get themselves back home.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five

Even though finding drinking water was not going to be a problem, Jack feared that starvation was. They had four more granola bars and two dehydrated meals between them. And so after taking stock of their rations and other supplies, Jack decided that they would live on what available food they had for two days while hunting for a larger shelter...preferably something at a lower altitude where the weather was not so severe. After that they would need to spend time hunting for small game and gathering whatever food they could find.

Jack knew that leaving the area near the stargate was not the best idea, if they expected anyone to rescue them. But since the weather had decided to play such a big part in their survival, he had decided that finding better shelter and finding food had to take precedence over the golden rule of staying put when lost.

Jack actually held out little hope of a rescue, but he wasn't about to admit that to Carter just now, when all she talked about was her father and Selmac coming to save them.

"I'm sure they'll come, Sir. It just may take a while for the news to reach my dad," she assured him.

"I hope you're right, Carter. But for now we'd better get moving, or we're gonna be spending another night in this pup tent," he said, referring to the small animal den in which they currently knelt.

"Check carefully. Make sure you've got everything, Captain," Jack said, as he kneeled inside the small enclosure. They had spent a warm night snuggled together in the little den, but even that closeness had done nothing to lighten Carter's mood or his. She was as tightly wound as he'd ever seen her, and she seemed to take most everything he said or did the wrong way. She backed out quickly and stood up, and Jack followed her.

"I resent what you're implying, Sir! Have I ever forgotten anything or left anything behind, Sir?" she asked, obviously offended by what he'd just said.

"No, not that I know of," he said, as he began walking with Sam following close behind. "But there's always a first time," he threw back over his shoulder. He cringed, mentally slapping himself upside the head and waiting for the angry response he knew was coming. Why he had to add that second part he wasn't sure, except that something in her attitude was beginning to bug him, and he felt like striking back.

He knew she had stopped walking, and so he stopped too and turned to look at her. Her face was growing flushed with anger. He could see it even in the gray light of the early morning, fog shrouding the ground and blocking out most of the sun's rays.

"Why, Colonel? Why do you assume I'll make some sort of mistake? Is it because I'm less competent than you? ...because I'm a woman?" she asked, her voice growing louder with each word.

"Shhh, Captain! You shouldn't assume those crazy folks aren't out here someplace. You don't want 'em to hear you, do you?" he hissed quietly.

"Oh, great! Now you're accusing me of being stupid as well as careless!" she all but shouted, and Jack turned around and grabbed her by one arm, while clapping his other hand over her mouth. Sam squirmed to try and loosen his grip, biting his hand as it slipped off her mouth.

"Ow!" he yelled, pulling his fist against his chest in a protective gesture.

"Careful, Colonel, someone might hear you," Sam hissed back as she walked away from him, but in the same direction he had been heading. Jack examined his hand for a couple of seconds, and finding that the skin was bruised but not broken, he took off after her, tackling her and pinning her to the snowy ground on her belly. Sam struggled, and Jack allowed her to turn over, but he kept his body close to hers, his face even closer. He rubbed his nose against the side of her head and inhaled her scent...cherishing it, just as he had all night long.

He didn't want her to be mad at him, but he didn't know what to say to her to make things better between them. And so he pulled back and looked at her lovely face, keeping his silence. Sam just stared back at him with her startlingly blue eyes. The two stayed that way for a full minute as time seemed to stand still, and then he suddenly got up and began walking once again. Sam sat up and looked after him. Then she stood up and followed.

For another hour they climbed down in elevation, crossing over foothill after foothill until they had reached the valley, where it was much warmer and there was no snow on the ground, although it was still cloudy and damp. They walked on for another hour, following a small stream, not stopping while they munched on their ration of one granola bar each.

Finally, as he looked up along the banks of the stream, Jack spotted what appeared as a black spot in the rocks. Hoping it was the mouth of a cave, he told Sam to wait there while he climbed up the thirty feet or so to check it out. They were the first words he had spoken to her since she'd bit him earlier that morning. He didn't wait to see if she had obeyed him or not, but quickly began climbing up the steep incline. After a couple of minutes of exploring the area, he walked back to where he could see Sam standing down below him. He was glad to see she had stayed put.

"Come on up!" he called out softly, using one hand to motion to her.

It had turned out to be a cave, and Jack knew he had found their home...at least for now. He and Sam worked for a couple of hours making the cave more livable, removing some small carcasses of long-dead kill, building a fire, and setting up a kitchen of sorts and two bedrooms. Jack had almost said something smart-assed to her when he'd seen her lay out her sleeping bag, as far away from his as possible. But he decided that would have only made her more angry, and so he tried common sense on her instead.

"Sam, you'll be much warmer, if you put your bag over here...closer to the fire," he said, indicating the spot where his bag was laying. He threw a couple more logs on the blaze, knowing they might be gone for a while hunting. He didn't want the cave to grow cold again in their absence.

"I'll be fine over here, Sir, " she replied, and so he let it go, figuring she could move if she got too cold.

"Okay, now we go find something to eat before it gets dark," Jack told her, and they both set off down the hill. He was planning to walk along the stream, figuring that game would come there to drink. He also planned to check the stream for fish or whatever lived in the water on this planet.

"Why are you so mad at me, Carter?" he asked her as he carefully made his way down the steep, rock-strewn slope, slipping occasionally before regaining his footing. She didn't answer him at first. He thought about reaching back to assist her, but decided against doing so. Sam made it down without any problems and began walking along beside him, before she responded.

"Why didn't you come inside?" she asked him in return. Jack's forehead furrowed. He knew what she was talking about, but he wasn't sure how to answer her question...how to explain. He thought about how he had felt that night...how much he had wanted her, but also how much her angry words in O'Malley's had made him doubt himself...doubt his ability to be a good CO to her.

Sam thought Jack wasn't going to answer her question, and that made her even more angry at him. But suddenly Jack stopped and began to speak, and what he said surprised her.

"You were right about me when you said I'm a male chauvinist. I do put women...well, some women anyway...on pedestals and treat them differently than men," he said, a small, sheepish smile on his face. "I really tried not to do that with you, and I honestly thought I had succeeded! But when you said what you did... Well, I realized then that I've been fooling myself...that I always thought of you differently than I do Daniel or Teal'c. I just can't help it, Sam. I'm in love with you! And I knew if we had sex, I would never be able to hide how I felt about you, or treat you like you were just one of the guys. I'd want to take care of you...hold you, protect you. I knew there'd be no way we could work together anymore. So that's why I didn't come in."

He stopped talking and hung his head, staring at a patch of ground that was snow-free, but not really seeing it for what it was. His mind was in a turmoil, wondering if he'd said too little or said too much. Why didn't she respond, he wondered, as he waited for her to speak. Finally he looked up at her shocked face, but her eyes were focused on something over his left shoulder. Jack turned the upper half of his body just in time for the spear, which had been heading for the middle of his back, to pierce his right shoulder. As Jack fell to his knees, Sam raised her handgun and fired once, shooting Jack's attacker through the heart. He fell, lifeless, onto his face on the ground about fifty feet from Jack.

Sam ran to her CO, dropping down onto her knees in front of him. Jack was clutching at the spear, trying to hold it level, as he fought to keep from passing out.

"Break it off, Sam," he choked out, the pain almost unbearable. Sam helped him to lie back on the ground, his legs bent awkwardly to the side. Jack was still clutching the spear in this hands, but she had a feeling he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. "Break it!" he demanded once again.

"I don't know if I can, Sir!" she cried, her hands cold and shaking as she grasped the shaft just above his hands, which were clasped one over the other, up against his body. The long shaft of the spear rose up two feet above her head as she leaned over him. She guessed that only the spear point and maybe an inch or two of the shaft were inside his shoulder, since the spears she had seen thus far had been only about four feet in length.

"You have to, Carter. I can't walk with this thing sticking outa me. Now break it off, and then get me back to the cave. That's an order!"

Sam gripped the shaft tightly in both hands, while Jack tried to hold it steady, his hands snug to his chest. It took all of her might, but finally the wood splintered in two, and Sam threw the long piece of wood away from them, with a repulsed look on her ashen face. Jack had cried out in pain when the thing broke, but at least he was still conscious.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

Sam knelt beside him, shaking with the shock of what had just happened. Jack had been cut down by a spear thrown by one of the natives, and in retaliation and without thinking she had shot the man dead.

"Now, get me up!" he ordered her. Sam helped him to stand up, and with his right arm across her shoulders, they somehow managed to get back to the cave.

"Now," Jack told her as he sat propped up against the cave wall, "you've got to pull this thing outa me."

Sam began to shake her head negatively. "No, I can't do that, Sir. Don't ask me to!" Even after she had broken off a long section, there was still about twelve inches of the thing sticking out of him, and she couldn't be certain how much of the shaft had gone into his shoulder. But of one thing she was certain, there was a spear point inside his shoulder that was at least two inches across at the base and probably twice as long from top to bottom.

"Captain, you can do this. First we're gonna get my clothes out of the way. You'll have to cut 'em with your knife." Setting her lips in a tight line, she took her knife out of her boot, where Jack had taught her to carry it. Jack had already unzipped his jacket, and once Sam had cut a hole in it large enough for the shaft to easily slip through, they were able to remove it, one arm at a time. Gritting his teeth he leaned forward and Sam pulled the coat from around him, tossing it aside.

Under it he wore the usual long-sleeved, buttoned shirt and black t-shirt. While Sam watched, he began to unbutton the shirt.

"Faster if you help," he said breathlessly, and Sam did as he suggested, her hands trembling slightly as she worked on loosening the buttons. Their hands bumped together once or twice before Jack gave up and let her finish. Next she did the same thing to it as she had done with his jacket, and soon it too was off and thrown aside. Then he released the buckle of his belt, followed by the snap at the waist of his green trousers. Ineffectively he began tugging on his black t-shirt, while Sam just sat there and watched. Jack wasn't sure if she was terrified she'd hurt him, or simply put off at the thought of having to touch him. But right now he didn't give a rat's ass; he just needed to get this damned spear out of him!

"Captain, I could really use your help here," he rasped irritably. He was finding it difficult to move, let alone pull his shirt out of his pants! Shaking herself mentally, Sam finally took hold of his t-shirt and pulled the bottom out of his BDUs. Then she carefully ran the tip of the sharp knife under the thin fabric, quickly slitting the front up to the wound. She gingerly pulled the piece of black cotton away from the spear, but when it got stuck in his blood and he grimaced, she stopped.

"I'll need to wet the area," she said turning to pick up his canteen. When she had first seen the spear sticking out of him, the truth of their situation had hit her full force and she had gone into a state of shock. But now Sam was beginning to think more clearly, and she knew what she needed to do...although she certainly didn't feel very confident about it.

The blood had dried and the shirt was stuck in it. Sam poured a little water over the wound and cringed at Jack's pained expression. Then she took a deep breath and continued to pull the torn shirt free, until his chest was bare and the t-shirt was hanging from just his arms. She quickly and efficiently slit the sleeves and tugged the torn and tattered shirt the rest of the way off, saving several clean pieces while throwing the bloody sections into the dying fire.

Before getting back to work on Jack's injury, Sam threw some logs onto the fire from the pile they had collected earlier that day. After taking several long, calming breaths, she took off her jacket, got the first aid kit from her back pack and a couple of things from his. When she was ready, she knelt down next to Jack whose face was as white as death and covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

"You will need to lay flat on your back for this, Sir," she told him, and she waited while he scooted forward on the ground, leaving enough room to accommodate his upper body. She placed his long-sleeved shirt on the ground behind him, her breasts softly brushing his shoulder as she worked to spread it out. Her scent did not turn him on this time; it was just extremely comforting.

After she had arranged a place for him to lie down, she leaned forward, her hand supporting the back of his neck as she helped lower him onto his back. He didn't make a sound, but she guessed that moving about so much must be causing him a lot of pain. So when Sam looked into his eyes, she was relieved to see he was still with her. If he passed out now, she wasn't sure what she'd do! With trembling hands Sam opened the small flask he always carried in his pack, and poured some of the scotch over the wound.

"Hey, don't waste so much of that!" he complained in a raspy voice. "In fact, gimme some," he said, and Sam leaned over him once again, placing her hand under his neck to lift his head a bit. She poured an ounce of liquor over his dry lips, and then did something totally unexpected; she followed the liquor with a kiss.

"Wow! What was that for?" he asked, grabbing her arm to keep her from moving away.

"For luck, 'cause with me doing this, you're gonna need it!" she said, trying to lighten the mood. She was a nervous as hell, and she figured he might as well know it.

"I was hoping that you did it because you love me," Jack said softly, staring at her with his dark chocolate eyes. Sam smiled at him before responding.

"When I saw you go down out there, I swear my heart stopped. I don't know what I would have done if... I do love you, Ss...Jack. I think I have since the first time I saw you...even though you did come across as a bit of a..."

"What? A male chauvinist? Remember, I told you I like women, Carter."

"I know that, Sir. You also feel protective of women. You told me, remember?"

"Yah, I do. Can't help it; I was raised that way. But I really did try to treat you like one of the guys, you know?"

"I believe you. Now let's get that spear point out of you."

"First say it again," he urged, a smug smirk on his pale, damp face. Sam leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips once again, before saying the words he wanted to hear.

"I love you, Jack."

"Sweet!" he replied, his eyes reflecting the firelight.

A half hour later...  
It had taken Sam twenty minutes just to finally work up enough courage to pull the flint, spear point out of Jack's shoulder, and she had been extremely relieved when blood did not come gushing out. The wound bled, but she was able to stem the flow easily, by packing the hole with pieces of his t-shirt. Once the bleeding stopped, she removed the packing, put some antibiotic on the wound and followed that with a bandage. When she was finished, she was glad to see that Jack was still conscious. She gave him a pill for the pain, which she knew would knock him out, and another to prevent infection, and then she began cleaning up the area, tossing the bloody scraps of t-shirt into the fire.

After Sam helped him move to his sleeping bag, he was very happy and relieved to see her moving hers over next to him. Then Sam got out a clean t-shirt from his pack and helped him put it on. Once Jack was laying down she untied his boots and removed them, wrinkling her nose at the smell of his feet. Jack saw her expression and couldn't help but comment.

"After three days without a bath or a change of socks, I bet yours don't smell much better," he told her. She smacked his calf playfully, and then she removed his dirty socks and tucked his feet inside the bag before zipping the bag shut.

"Want 'em zipped together," he said with a yawn. Sam knew the pain med was already making him sleepy.

"I'd like that too, Jack. But not yet. Wait till your wound has a chance to heal first."

"And then I'm gonna fuck you, Captain," he said softly, staring at her from under half-closed lids. Then his eyes shut completely, and Sam knew he was falling asleep.

"I can't wait, Jack," she replied, before leaning down to kiss his lips. Sam lingered there a bit, nuzzling his lips and jaw with her nose. Jack's lips were warm and soft, and his two-day-old growth scratched a bit, but she didn't mind. She took the opportunity to study his face, unlined and untroubled in sleep. Examining him like this was something she rarely had a chance to do, and she liked it. She also enjoyed being able to kiss him without worrying about who might be watching. It was easy here, light years away from Earth, to forget all about the regs that normally controlled their lives.

Sam reclined on her sleeping bag and just stared at him, feeling happier than she'd felt since her mother had been killed by a drunk driver when she was fourteen. Oh, sure, she'd had some pretty terrific things happen in her life since then, but she'd never had the love that she missed so desperately...until now. She knew that Jack had gone through some rough times too...that he had been alone now for years since his son's death and his subsequent divorce. 'Maybe,' she thought, 'I can give him back what he lost.'

Knowing that the pain medication would keep him out for a while, Sam decided to give in to her nervous exhaustion and get some much needed rest. She zipped up her sleeping bag and turned on her side facing Jack, and in just a few seconds she was sound asleep.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter seven

Sam was dreaming of blue things; a sky blue parka she wore when she went skiing, a bottle of blue body wash that was currently sitting in her shower at home, blue Jell-O on the naked limbs and chest of her CO... Her CO! Holy Hannah!

Suddenly Sam sat up, taking her sleeping bag with her. She looked like a butterfly trying to emerge from its cocoon, only the damned thing wouldn't let her out. She wriggled and finally got her arms free, fingers searching for the zipper. After she managed to pull it half the way down the side, she relaxed, wondering why she had awakened with such a start.

Then she heard it...a high-pitched whine, like the engine of jet when it was revving up. Suddenly she heard Jack say one word, "ship". Sam grabbed her shoes from the floor at the end of her sleeping bag and pulled them on, as Jack struggled to sit up. Ignoring him, she got up and ran out of the cave and toward the edge of the rise above the stream bed. As she ran she kept her face lifted toward the sky, finally looking down only when she was in danger of barreling right over the edge. She planted her feet and looked up once again. She could still hear the sound, but the cloud cover was so thick and so close to the ground, that she could not see what was making it.

Suddenly Sam was aware of Jack standing close behind her. Even though he hadn't made any noise or said anything, she knew he was there. He stepped closer to her, his chest pressing against her back, his warm breath hitting the back of her neck as his hands gripped her biceps.

"It woke me up too."

"I can't see anything, can you?" she asked him.

"Wait! There! It is a ship!" he said, pointing to a wispy gray area where the clouds were less thick. And now she could see it too! It was definitely some sort of flying craft, but just exactly what kind or who it belonged to, she had no idea and neither did Jack.

Aboard the newest ship in the growing Tok'ra fleet, Selmac/Jacob sat behind the guidance control panel, his eyes focused on the colored images of the holographic display in front of him. They were scanning the planet for heat signatures, and had already located a large group of warm bodies clustered together exactly where they had been told, by Dr. Jackson, that the village was located. Now they were looking elsewhere, hoping to find just two warm bodies, Col. O'Neill's and Capt. Carter's.

Jacob/Selmac had started at the gate and was currently following along the base of the mountain, thinking that the two wouldn't have gone more than a few miles away from the stargate. They also theorized that the two might have sought out a warmer location, since the temperature reading on the mountain was currently five degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature in the valley directly below the mountain was twenty degrees warmer, and so that is where they were currently searching. Of course they realized that Jack and Sam might be iin/i the village. And if that were the case, only a trip down there would tell them for sure. Both Jacob and Selmac were hoping that trip wouldn't be necessary.

The other man on the bridge was much younger than Selmac or Jacob, but even so he had been treating Jacob/Selmac like a fledgling pilot, which was quickly becoming very annoying to both of them.

"We can't fly at this slow speed for long before the engines will overheat," Karush commented, looking with worry at the man next to him.

"Need I remind you that I helped design the engines, Karush?" Selmac asked.

"No, Selmac, you have told me many times how you worked on the design for years before your recent illness," he replied testily. Selmac and Jacob both knew the man was referring to the illness of Selmac's previous host, who had died the day Jacob had become her new host.

"Then you should keep your eyes on the display, and let me know when the engine temperature reaches critical." Suddenly the voice changed pitch, as Jacob Carter spoke.

"And if you are really here to help me find Col. O'Neill and my daughter, you will stop being such a pain in the ass and do your job!" Jacob said, and Selmac laughed loudly inside Jacob's head. This having another person inside his head was still a little hard to believe and even harder to deal with sometimes, but most of the time Jacob liked it just fine. The alternative stunk, of that he was quite certain!

Down on the planet Jack and Sam had decided to take a chance that the ship they had seen was not Goa'uld, but some other race that would help them get home. And so Sam and Jack had gathered as much dry wood and brush as they could find, and they had built a large fire out in front of the cave, figuring that a heat sensor was probably the only thing that could locate them from that far away. They had been correct, and in the next sweep of the area, they were located and beamed aboard, using the ship's demolecularization technology...a gift from their new allies the Asgard.

When the doors to the cargo compartment opened, and Sam saw her father standing in the doorway, she smiled but she couldn't run to him because Jack was leaning heavily on her. She walked a few steps with him toward the wall, and that was when Jack passed out. Sam went down with him, cradling his head in her arms as she spoke softly to him, telling him that they were safe on Jacob's ship. Jacob stood over them, his face red with anger.

"Sam! What the hell!" Sam's father could see the white bandage sticking out of the neckline of Jack's black t-shirt as well as his pale complexion, but Jack's injury wasn't what concerned him. It was his daughter's un-military-like behavior.

"He's been wounded, Dad. ...a spear in the shoulder. I got it out, but he lost some blood. I need to give him more antibiotics. Can you get my pack, Dad?" she asked, not looking up. When he didn't move to help, she gave him a meaningful glare. "Jack is hurt, Dad!"

Reluctantly he picked up the pack and brought it to her. Then he watched in disgust as she fed Jack a pill and gave him some water, talking to him the whole time in a low, affectionate tone of voice. Jacob shook his head and started to leave the room. Then he stopped in the doorway and turned to look at her.

"You know this is gonna ruin your career, Sam," he said sternly.

"What makes you think that I care, Dad?" she asked, her expression as cold as ice. Jacob turned and left, the door hissing shut behind him.

It was twelve long, uncomfortable days before Sam and Jack got back to the SGC. And now Jack was in the infirmary with a very concerned Dr. Janet Frasier standing over him. Sam, who had gone to take a shower and change clothes, walked up behind her, eager to hear how Jack was doing.

"Janet? How is he?" Sam asked quietly, coming to stand between Janet and the head of the Colonel's bed. Without thinking, Sam reached up and ran her fingers lovingly over the hair at his forehead.

"Sam, I think we should go in my office and talk," Janet suggested. Sam nodded consent and followed her. Janet waited for her to come inside, and then she shut the door and sat down, while Sam remained standing, facing Janet's desk.

"He has an infection, hasn't he? I just knew it!"

"He does have a slight infection, but it's nothing the antibiotic can't handle. Sam, that's not what I'm worried about," she admitted, her brow furrowing.

"What is it? What else could be wrong with him?" Sam asked, slumping into one of the visitors' chairs.

"There's nothing else wrong with the Colonel. It's you I'm worried about, Sam. I happen to know that your father had a talk with General Hammond." When Sam's eyebrows rose, Janet continued. "A certain little Sergeant, who shall remain nameless and who has a crush on me, told me he overheard them. He said he found it difficult not to hear, since your dad was yelling so loudly."

"What did he hear?" Sam asked, praying it wasn't about her feelings for Jack. She knew she had been careless in front of her father...more than careless, she had flaunted her feelings for Jack in front of him, and now she was afraid she was going to pay dearly.

"Your father wants Jack transferred out of the SGC ASAP. Actually, what I was told was that Jacob said the Colonel should be sent to where he'll 'never again see the light of day', or words similar to those." Janet watched as Sam's face turned a lighter shade of pale.

"This is my fault. I shouldn't have let him see how upset I was. And I said some things. And now Jack is going to have to pay for my stupidity!" Sam ragged on herself, tears filling her eyes and escaping over her bottom lids to cascade down her cheeks. Janet got up and came around to her. Sitting on the other visitors' chair, she took Sam's hands in hers and held them.

"Sam, maybe General Hammond won't do anything. After all, he can't just remove Jack from his assignment without a good reason. And don't forget, if he reported that the Colonel conducted himself inappropriately with someone under his command, he would also have to name the subordinate. Surely your father doesn't want that on your service record! And I'm positive General Hammond would never accuse you both without more proof than just your father's word!"

Sam knew that Janet was right, and so she dried her tears with the tissues Janet handed her and rose up out of her chair. She had made a decision, and she was going to go through with it, before she lost her nerve.

"Thanks for telling me, Janet. You're a good friend. Now I guess I've got to find out what General Hammond is going to do," Sam said quietly, her head down.

"But how are you going to do that without admitting anything?" Janet asked.

"Very carefully, Jan. Very carefully."

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter eight

The short elevator ride down to Hammond's office seemed to take an excruciatingly long time to Sam, who had decided to take the bull by the horns. If her father was going to fight dirty, then she was going to come out of her corner swinging! She wasn't about to just sit back and let two generals dictate how the rest of her life would go. Well, at least she didn't intend to allow them to ruin the career of the man she loved!

But when Sam got to Hammond's office, the door was closed and the lights were off. Sam ran down the stairs to the control room, where she found Jan's little snitch, the ever-present Walter Harriman, otherwise known as 'what's his name?'

"Sergeant! Has the General left the base?" she asked him quickly.

"Yes, Captain, he left just a few minutes ago," he replied, looking up at her with a blank expression. Sam suspected he was hiding a lot behind that poker face.

"Do you know where he went and when he'll be back?" Sam asked him, keeping her voice low so that the other technicians in the room couldn't hear.

"He went off base to take your father out to lunch, Captain." Walter stared up at her with innocent eyes, but she knew there was a lot of valuable information stored inside that head of his, and she wanted to know what it was!

"How about we go to the commissary for a cup of coffee, and you fill me in on what you know," she said quietly and through gritted teeth.

"I really don't know very much, Captain Carter," Walter said, his voice beginning to squeak.

"Look, Walter, I have a feeling you know a lot more than you let on. But I promise not to hurt you, if you tell me what I want to know," Sam hissed as she bent forward and pressed a few keys on the keyboard of the computer. She had just logged him out and entered a command protocol that required her password to get back into the program. "Shall we go get that cup of coffee now?" she asked loudly in her most pleasant voice.

An hour later she had the entire dirty scoop on what had been said between her dad and Hammond. And although it wasn't all bad news, it still didn't make her feel very confident. What Walter had not told Janet was that General Hammond had clearly been against getting rid of what he called 'the best military strategist' at the SGC, namely Colonel O'Neill. Hammond also was not willing to put either of them on report without more proof. As Sam made her way from the commissary on level three down to the infirmary on level twenty-one, she thought back to her conversation with Sgt. Harriman. The little man had sung like a canary, once she had threatened to tell Major Davis that he had a crush on him.

*~*~*~*  
"Okay, even though I don't think you'd really do that, I'll tell you what I know. I heard your father tell Hammond that you and the Colonel were having an affair, and then I heard Hammond ask General Carter if he was certain," he whispered, bending forward over the small table. Sam had chosen the table in the back corner of the commissary, hoping that even if her other two teammates entered the big room, they might not notice her there. She really needed to talk to Walter privately!

"What did my father say?"

"He said... He said it was obvious from the way you were touching the Colonel and from what you were saying to him, that you...'that you were under that bastard's spell' was the way he put it."

"What did Hammond say to that?" Sam asked him, her blue eyes almost black in their intensity.

"He asked your father if you admitted being intimate with the Colonel. Your dad said 'no', but that he could tell that you had been intimate by the way you were holding him and carrying on over him. And he reminded Hammond that you two had just got through spending the night alone together on the planet." Walter was blushing now, and Sam had to look down at the table to hide her embarrassment. She would normally never talk about anything so personal with this man...or with most people for that matter...but she really needed to know what had been said about her and the Colonel!

"What did Hammond say then?"

"He said that was not evidence of anything improper, and that no matter how certain your dad was, he would require more proof before he would be willing to take any action against either you or the Colonel. He also reminded General Carter that, if he were to charge either of you with conduct unbecoming or with breaking the frat regs, both of you would suffer the consequences."

"And what did my father say to that?" Sam thought she knew what he had said, but she still needed to hear Walter say it.

"He said... He said that even though you are his daughter, you should receive no special consideration. You took an oath, and you should live by it," Walter said, his voice barely audible. The man actually had tears in his eyes. "You don't have to worry, Captain Carter; I would never tell anyone any of this," he promised.

"Thanks, Walter. You're a good friend," she said.

Sam smiled at him and then left the commissary. Walter just sat there looking like someone had ripped the stuffing out of his favorite Teddy bear. *~*~*~*

When Sam got back to the infirmary, Janet was just closing the privacy curtain around the Colonel's bed. She did it mostly out of habit. Today Jack was the only patient in the infirmary, and she was covering for her two nurses, who had asked to be allowed to use the gym. Janet wasn't sure she liked being alone in the creepy quiet of the subterranean complex, but she did prefer having no wounded SGC personnel in her care!

Janet saw Sam and put a finger up to her lips, indicating that they should be quiet because Jack was asleep.

"Janet, is he going to be okay?"

"Yes, Sam, the Colonel is going to be fine, thanks to you. You did a really great job of removing that spear point and cleaning out the wound. He can go home tomorrow, and in a couple of weeks he should be as good as new."

"Oh, Janet, I'm so glad! I can't tell you how scared I was when he was hit," she admitted.

"I can imagine, knowing how you feel about him," she said, lowering her voice a bit more. "So, tell me...what did you find out?" she asked excitedly. "Did you talk to General Hammond?"

"No, he wasn't there and neither was my dad. Apparently they went off base for lunch. But I talked to Walter, and he told me that General Hammond isn't willing to bring charges against either of us without substantial proof. And he doesn't think what my father told him constitutes proof."

From behind the white curtain they heard the gruff, angry voice of one very awake Col. Jack O'Neill. "What the hell has Walter got to do with this?!" Sam and Janet reached for the ends of the curtain at the same time, whipping them open in both directions.

"Sir, I thought you were asleep!" Janet said, an startled look on her face.

"I was playing possum," he admitted. He often pretended to be asleep when he was in the infirmary. He found it was one way of avoiding being poked, prodded and stuck with those big needles. "Now what was this about General Hammond bringing charges against someone?"

"I think I'll leave you two alone to talk. I'll be in my office if you need me," the petite doctor said with a smile, and then she clicked away on her high-heeled shoes.

"So...Janet knows about us?" he asked softly, as Sam's fingers sneaked out to touch his arm. She knew there were cameras in the corners of the room, but she had to take the chance. She was so relieved that he was going to be okay, and she simply had to touch him!

"She's known for some time how I feel about you. But don't worry; she's my friend and she won't say anything." Then Sam explained how Walter had gotten involved. Jack listened attentively, just staring into her blue eyes. He had made an angry face when she told how Jacob had gone to General Hammond to try and get Jack transferred, but he held his tongue until she was finished.

"Wow! I had a feeling your dad didn't like me much, but I never thought he'd pull a stunt like that. "So, what do we do now?" he asked. Jack wasn't sure just how far Sam wanted this relationship to go. They hadn't even consummated it yet, for crying out loud!

Sam knew exactly what she wanted, although she hadn't told him yet. She had never felt like this before; she was finally doing something completely selfish...completely for herself, and it felt good. All her life, or at least since her mother had died, she had lived her life doing the things she knew would make her father happy. She had craved her father's approval...his love. And what had it gotten her? Yes, she had a fantastic job, but she and her father were no closer than they'd ever been. Sam had to finally admit that her father was never going to change, and that she needed to live her life for herself, instead of for him. And now she had this great guy who loved her. But did he want to make a commitment to her? She decided that now was the time to find out.

"I guess what we do now depends on how important this is to both of us. I mean do you want to give us a try?" she asked him timidly, her legs beginning to shake as she stood next to his bed. What if he said 'no'!

"Yes, I do, but I don't want to get shipped off to Nome for doing it!" he said with a little grin, as he thought of the double meaning of that statement.

"And I don't want you to get shipped off to Nome, Colonel, or anywhere else for that matter."

"So what do we do?"

"I'm not sure. But I know what I want," she said, her face brightening.

"And what would that be, Captain?"

"I want to be free to be with you...to see where this thing between us will go. I want to go on working with alien technology in my lab, and I want my career in the Air Force."

"I don't see how you can have all of those things, unless I retire. I thought I was ready for retirement once, but now..."

"You like your job. I know! I like mine too! But there is one part of my job that I would be willing to give up, if it would mean that we could be together." Jack tipped his head to the side in confusion. He couldn't see where she was going with this.

"What would you be willing to give up, Sam?"

"I'd give up gate travel to be with you, Colonel," she assured him. Jack's left eyebrow shot upward.

"But you'd have to give up the SGC too, Sam. Don't forget I'm still 2iC of the base."

"I know that. And what I'm about to suggest wouldn't be easy. We'd have to carry on a long distance relationship, but I'd be willing to try it, if you are."

"Sam, just tell me already! What are you thinking?"

"I could put in for a transfer to Nellis, Sir."

"You're suggesting you go to work at Area 51?" Jack asked, shocked that she would even think of leaving the SGC.

"Yes! It would be the perfect place for me, Sir. And it's not really that far by plane. If we tried, I think we could make this work. And it would give us time to see if we really have something that will last."

This was not what Jack had wanted at all, not that he had a better solution. He just knew that Carter leaving the SGC was not an option he wanted to consider!

"No, Carter, I don't want you leaving the SGC on account of me," Jack said shaking his head. He could see Sam was disappointed, but he didn't know what else to say.

"Then I guess there's no hope for us, Sir," she said sadly. She turned and started to walk away, but Jack's soft, sexy voice stopped her.

"Hey, Carter! I still think you're the hottest Jell-O wrestler ever, you know," he said with a sparkle in his eyes. He felt like he wanted to cry, but he held the tears back, unwilling for her to see how much this was hurting him. He figured he had to do this for her. He'd deal with his own emotions later.

"And just for the record, I wouldn't have anyone else for my second-in-command but you!" he added truthfully. "You saved my sorry ass once again, Sam. You're the best!" And he knew it was true too.

"Thanks, Sir," she said softly, choking back the tears. And then she turned and walked out.

At least she wouldn't have to speak to General Hammond about any of this. It didn't look like he was going to send Jack away or discipline either of them, which really didn't surprise her very much; she knew the man thought of her and Jack like family. 'Maybe Dad should take some lessons from him on parenting,' she thought as she headed to her lab.

Sam went inside and shut the door, leaning her forehead against the cold, gray steel. She let out a long sigh and turned to look around at her life...such as it was. Now all she had to do was not let what had happened between her and the Colonel get in the way of her being a good officer. She would pretend like none of this had ever happened, including the part where she and Jack had professed their love for one another. It wouldn't be easy, but like a good little soldier, she would try her best.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter nine

Weeks went by, Jack's injury healed and he was approved for active duty, and both he and Sam proved that they could put aside their personal feelings and work together, just as they had before. At least so it seemed to most people at the SGC. However, their teammates Daniel and Teal'c had a totally different perspective on the matter, and they both secretly wondered how long it would be before the shit hit the proverbial fan.

One day as Daniel sat on the ground brushing hundreds of years of dust off a large tablet inside a temple on a tropical planet designated P2X-213, he heard the unmistakable sounds of a commotion, followed by two people shouting at one another. He recognized the voices immediately as Jack's and Sam's. At first he hesitated, wondering if he should become involved in their argument. But Daniel wasn't one to avoid trouble, especially when it involved a war of words, so he got up and went looking for his two friends.

Teal'c who was standing guard a few yards away from the temple door, but in the opposite direction from the yelling, simply raised one eyebrow as he watched Daniel leave. Teal'c was no fool!

Daniel found his teammates not far away, in a thick tangle of lush plants, standing over an animal of some sort. It appeared to be dead, and it had a regulation knife sticking out of it that obviously belonged to either Jack or Sam. They didn't even seem to notice when Daniel walked up to them.

"Hey, guys. What's goin on?" They ignored him and continued to yell at each other.

"As you can see, Colonel, I don't need your help! I am perfectly able to take care of myself!" Sam yelled. Her black t-shirt was hanging out of her pants, and her belt buckle hung from beneath it. Obviously she had been surprised by this creature while using the facilities, Daniel thought to himself.

"I ordered you not to leave the site without telling me, Carter! And the last time I looked, I was still the ranking officer around here!" he yelled back.

"I had to use the ladies' room, Sir. What was I supposed to do, ask you to come along and hold my hand?"

"Not exactly, but you should have told me where you were going. All I heard was this God-awful noise that sounded like you were being eaten alive."

"Well, as you can see, Sir, I'm fine. Now can we just forget it?" Sam asked, lowering her voice when she realized that Daniel was standing next to her. She had begun to tuck in her shirt. Daniel turned around and headed back to the temple, figuring he'd put in his two-cents-worth later. He had noticed lately that Jack was treating Sam differently...less like a fellow soldier and more like a loved one...and he was certain now that he wasn't the only one who was aware of it. If it continued, the whole team would suffer the consequences.

"I'm sorry, Sam. You're right," Jack admitted, keeping his voice down. I swore I wasn't gonna do this. I've tried not to treat you any different than Daniel or Teal'c, but I just can't help myself. When we get home, I'm gonna ask that you be transferred to another team. At least that way you can continue to do your job without me coming down on you."

"And that way you won't have to put up with me anymore. Is that it?" Sam asked, tears stinging her eyes.

Sam had tucked in her t-shirt and zipped up her pants, and now she was struggling with the belt buckle, which in her trembling hands just wouldn't cooperate. She wasn't just angry; she was completely crushed. She had been willing to give up working at the SGC in order to pursue a relationship with him, but he had rejected her offer. And now he was going to have her transferred to another team! This was just more than she could take, and she began to sob as she walked away from Jack, heading further into the jungle. She really didn't want him or the guys to see her like this. She had to get away so she could have time to compose herself!

Jack just stood there for a minute trying to figure out what he'd done wrong this time. He thought she'd be relieved not to have him criticizing her or calling her on each and every little thing she did. But clearly Sam had taken his intended kindness as some kind of slap in the face. Suddenly Jack realized that she had walked further into the jungle, and now he couldn't see her!

"Carter! Carter, come back here! Sam! God, damn it!" Jack took off after her, running full out for a minute, before stopping to look around. At first he didn't see her, but then he heard his sniffling and saw her blonde head above one of the tall plants that crowded the area. He quickly strode over to her, swiping the tall green things out of the way, before grabbing hold of her arm and pulling her around to face him.

"Sam, damn it! Stop going off alone!" he growled, his anger and his confusion driving him. "Something could happen to you!" he yelled as he pulled her against him, trapping her arms between their chests.

"Maybe you should pray that it does!" she yelled, tears leaving a glistening path on her rosy cheeks. "Then you wouldn't have to put up with all of the insubordinate, stupid things I do anymore!" she screamed at him as her small fists clutched and pounded ineffectively against his chest. She could barely move, because he was holding her so tightly.

Without thinking, Jack's mouth sought hers, his thin lips crushing her fuller ones in a blazing kiss that left them both breathless. When they broke apart gasping for air, Sam stared into his black eyes and spoke defiantly.

"Is that the way you intend to discipline me from now on, Colonel? Because if it is, then I'll have to report you to General Hammond," she hissed, her tone like ice.

"You go right ahead! And in that case, I may as well do as I please with you. I mean what's the sense in getting court-martialed, when I haven't even taken all I want?" he asked her calmly. She stared back at him, as though daring him to do whatever he had in mind. But in reality she was asking herself the same question. What was stopping them? Hadn't they already busted the regs all to hell anyway?

And then his actions became anything but calm as he pushed her down onto the thick vegetation, his hands working to pull her shirt free of her pants, while his mouth covered hers once again. Sam's hands that had been fisted against his chest, began to work at his belt and pants, unfastening them as quickly as she could.

"Eager much?" he asked, his words hitting the side of her head as he lay on top of her, his long fingers making quick work of the snap and zipper of her uniform pants. Then he sat back on his heels and grabbed hold of her trousers, tugging them down off her hips. Sam had to let go of his clothes when he lifted up, so she helped him with hers instead, wiggling until her pants were down around her ankles.

"Hurry up, before I change my mind, damn it!" she hissed. Together they managed to remove one boot, so she could pull her pants off one long leg. Then he pulled his own pants down below his knees and sat back on the ground, struggling with his boots.

"Oh, fuck it!" he cried out in frustration. He gave up on the boots and leaned over her again, his hips in between her spread thighs, his right hand guiding his swollen penis to her damp folds. Leaning on one arm Jack pressed into her and heard her choke back a cry. God, she had been tight that night behind O'Malley's, but she was even tighter now, he thought as he held himself poised at her opening.

"It's okay! Just do it!" she hissed again. Sam arms, which had been around his shoulders, now moved down to his waist. With both hands on his ass, she pulled him toward her, and Jack lunged forward, his nine-inch tumescent cock sliding home. Then he wrapped both arms under and around her shoulders and started moving, pulling her toward him as he ground his hips against hers. His face was nestled next to her head, and he turned into her whispering the words that she thought she'd never hear from him...ever again.

"I love you, Sam!" he said, his voice shaking with emotion.

"I love you, Jack!" she replied. And then all thoughts of talking ended, and all they wanted to do was become a part of each other...one body, one mind, one love that nothing or no one could ever destroy.

With swift, strong strokes that left her panting for more, Jack pressed harder and farther into her willing flesh, driving them both past the point of rational thinking. They were on a mission, and their teammates were just a hundred or so yards away, but even that couldn't curb their need to do this. Sam moved her legs higher around Jack's hips and gripped him with her thighs as she urged him on.

"God, how I love you, Jack! Fuck me as though this might be the last time," she crooned in his ear, her warm lips caressing the side of his head with kisses and words of endearment. Her words spurred him on toward his release. And before he could stop himself he was coming, pouring his life's essence into the shelter of her womb. He collapsed onto Sam and she held him, seemingly unwilling to let him go. When his breathing had returned to normal, he lifted up and looked at her, his face a picture of distress and worry. He knew she hadn't come.

"Oh, God, Sam, I'm so sorry," he told her, his eyes pleading for forgiveness.

"For what?" she asked as she rubbed his back soothingly. He reluctantly pulled his flaccid penis out of her warmth and shifted over to the ground next to her, before pulling her onto her side facing him.

"You didn't come," he replied. She saw how worried he was, and she thought it was so sweet of him to be concerned about her. She truly wasn't upset with him; the last few minutes had been the most wonderfully tender ones of her entire life, and she wouldn't have traded them for anything! But obviously he didn't know that.

"I don't have to come every time, Jack, to enjoy having sex. ...at least not with you! I love you, and just being with you like this..." She looked around them and giggled. "Yes, even like this! It was wonderful! I've never felt so loved in my entire life, Jack. And besides, now you owe me!" she said with a wicked smile.

"I certainly do, Captain. And I always repay my debts. So what say we get back to work, before Daniel comes looking for us? Then when we get home..."

"What, Sir? When we get home, what?" They were both sitting up now and getting dressed. Sam didn't look upset, just curious. Jack really wished he had an answer for her, but he didn't. And the fact that things were no more clear now than they had been twenty minutes ago made him see red.

"Damn it, I don't know, Sam!" he said way too harshly, and he knew it the second the words were out of his mouth. He grabbed her hand and brought it up to his mouth as they stood facing one another in the lush forest. "I don't know, Sam," he repeated, but this time he spoke very softly. "I just know I love you, and we are going to be together...somehow!"

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter ten

After their last mission and what had finally happened between he and Sam, Jack vowed that something was going to change. The trouble was, he didn't know what! Desperate for some advice and praying for a miracle solution, Jack marched to Hammond's office. No one was in the outer office, and so he knocked on the door.

He heard General Hammond's voice call out to him. "Come!" Jack opened the door and was met by a shocking sight. There seated in Hammond's office were not only General Hammond , but Captain Samantha Carter and General Jacob Carter too! And the look on General Carter's face told him he was in big trouble.

"Sorry to interrupt, Sir," Jack said almost shyly as he took a step backward.

"Wait, Jack! You're not interrupting. In fact I was just about to call you, since this concerns you too." Jack stopped in his tracks and just stood here, his hand gripping the door knob.

"Get a chair from the briefing room, son," Hammond said, realizing there was no chair for Jack.

"It's alright, George," Jacob said rising. "I have to leave anyway," he continued with a scowl on his face, and then he headed toward the door. Jack stepped back out of his way, watching as Jacob stopped and stared at General Hammond. "I just hope you know what you're doing, George. I know this was partially Selmac's doing, but that doesn't mean I approve of it."

"I know that, Jacob, and I have to admit I have my doubts as well. But the Joint Chiefs are behind it, as is the President."

"That's what really amazes me. From what I've heard, my daughter is the one person this base can't do without! Sending her to live on some planet that doesn't even have electricity is not only foolish, it's a waste of her talent!"

"As I understand it, her talent is why she's needed for the project, Jacob." While he hated to lose his two best people, George was first and foremost a loyal officer who would do whatever was asked of him, even when he had some pretty strong doubts...like he was having this time.

"All I can see is that Sam is throwing her life away...in more ways than one." He glanced at Jack, giving him a dirty look before he aimed his dark, beady eyes at her. "I just hope you come to your senses before it's too late, young lady," he said cryptically, and then he walked out.

Jack watched Jacob leave. He took a beat before he went to sit down in the chair that General Carter had vacated. He could see how upset Sam was, and he really wanted to comfort her. But under the circumstance all he could do was give her an understanding look. Sam tried to smile at him, but didn't quite succeed.

"Sir, what is this all about? Is Sam...er...Capt. Carter...being sent to live on another planet?" Jack asked incredulously. Hammond got up and walked around his desk, his facial expression about as serious as Jack had ever seen it. God, he really hated to lose these two!

"If Sam accepts the assignment, she'll be leading a science and technology team consisting of Tok'ra and Tauri, on a planet designated P1T-001. They will report to a Tok'ra scientist named Martouf, who was recently appointed as the science and research director on their high council." Jack vaguely remembered the name, but couldn't quite place it. He figured he had most likely met him when they'd taken Jacob to get that snake put inside him, and it made Jack shiver just to think about it.

"And if you accept your new assignment, Jack, you'll be going there too, as the commander of the settlement. You will have a company of combined forces... marines, airmen, and army personnel...to help you do your job. The Army Corps of Engineers will also be there to build the housing and other structures."

"Me, Sir? But I'm just a Colonel," he said, very humbly, even for Jack.

"Not for long, Colonel. If you accept this assignment, both you and Captain Carter will be promoted. But before we get into that, I want to tell you what I told Sam," he said as he sat on the corner of his desk. Jack looked at Sam, who gave him a genuine smile this time. Feeling a tad better, but mostly just plain confused, he sat back in the chair and listened while General Hammond explained.

"As you know, for generations the Tok'ra moved from one planet to another, in fear of being wiped out by the Goa'uld. But now, due to the Asgard's protection, they have been able to maintain a stable society on the desert planet Vorash where we first met them. Living in one place for this long and blending with some of the top minds in the galaxy has enabled them to advance technologically. As you know, they have recently built a small fleet of ships of their own design. One thing you do not know is that they have been using those ships to explore planets in hopes of finding one suitable for settlement. Short story is they've found one, and now it is their goal to move their people to this planet, which is much more hospitable to their human hosts. It's a place where they can live on the surface. They want to do this not only for the health and comfort of their hosts and their hosts' children, but to repay their human counterparts for everything they've done for them."

"Wow, Sir! That's really great!" And he meant it. This really didn't sound like the snake heads he had grown to hate. Maybe, he thought, they aren't so bad after all! "But where do we come in?" Jack asked, still confused.

"The crux of the matter is manpower. While they have been reproducing at a fast rate, they still don't have the large number of adults necessary to man their current base, while sending a crew to prepare a viable support system and infrastructure on the chosen planet."

"P1T-001?" Jack asked. Hammond nodded. "But why can't all of 'em go there and work to get the place going?" Jack asked in layman terms.

"There are two basic reasons they can't do this without our help. First, although they have expertise in many areas, there are still many rudimentary tasks about which they know very little, like building the housing that will be required. They also know nothing about agriculture. And since their human halves are demanding their children be raised on the kind of diet they once enjoyed... Well, you know how bad the Tok'ra food is! Anyway, they really want to eat real food again!"

"You said there are two reasons they can't do this without us? What's the other one?"

"The second reason is really where you will come in, Jack, and it's two-fold. The Tok'ra have never had to deal with any kind of dissension among themselves, and that's mainly because their numbers were so few. But now that their numbers are growing, the need for a security team has become apparent. Also, they've never had to deal with the kinds of problems present on the planet. It's a hospitable place except for one main thing...a large predator that no one has really seen. But one thing is known about it; it likes the taste of humans. The first exploration team the Tok'ra sent to the planet lost three out of eight team members." Jack and Sam noticeably shivered.

"So you want me and my men there to protect the people from these things and from themselves?"

"That's putting it rather simply, but 'yes!' And there is something else which will be of particular interest to both of you that Sam doesn't know about yet. I waited to speak to the two of you together about this," he said mysteriously. He looked from Sam to Jack and back again before continuing. "I'm going to speak 'off the record' for a moment. Recently it was brought to my attention that you two may have acted inappropriately on a recent mission."

Jack heard Sam gasp. He figured the ax was about to fall anyway, so he might as well come clean. "Sir, I swear it was just the one time...well, mostly."

Hammond chuckled and put up his hand. "Jack, I really don't want to know any of the details. What matters is that I know that you two have feelings for each other...feelings that under current military regulations here on Earth are forbidden. So I had a frank discussion about this matter with the President, and I think I have some good news for you," he said with a smile. Both Sam and Jack were looking quite embarrassed about the turn this conversation had taken. In fact, Sam had turned a lovely shade of hot pink, or so George thought to himself. The girl was gorgeous and as smart as a whip, and he could understand why Jack had fallen so hard for her. As for Sam's interest in Jack...well, he decided this must be one of those times when, as they say, opposites attract!

"Don't be embarrassed or unduly concerned; I am certain you are not the only two on this base, or any other, who are having difficulties with the fraternization regulations. For the record, since this matter affects all the military personnel who will be relocating to the planet, new regulations have been adopted in regard to these personnel that will allow them not only to work side-by-side with their spouses, but will also allow people like yourselves to pursue personal relationships and to marry. And since the team assigned to P1T-001 will be going there for a minimum tour of two years, as soon as it is deemed safe, the families of the civilians, enlisted men and officers will be allowed to locate there as well. This is going to be a real community...the beginnings of a new civilization, if you will." Sam and Jack looked at one another with open mouths. They were both clearly stunned, and didn't know what to say.

"And now if that is not enough to convince you that this assignment was meant for you, Jack, let me also assure you that President Hayes really wants you for this job! Particularly since the Tok'ra representative told him the Asgard practically insisted on your participation. Your little gray friends have even offered to place the new Tok'ra home world under their protection, if the Tauri have more than just a passing involvement. Actually it's rather obvious that the Tok'ra haven't won the complete confidence of the Asgard yet. At any rate, what that means is that we will be allowed to remain on the planet indefinitely, we will be allowed to participate in decisions regarding the design, function, and the governing of the settlement, and we will be given full rights of citizenship once a government is established."

"Now, people, I'm giving you two the next forty-eight hours to decide whether or not to accept the President's offer. I'll see you back here at 07:00 on Thursday. Until then you're dismissed."

Jack stood up and actually gave the General a full salute. "Wow, Sir! I don't know what else to say, but 'wow!'" Sam also saluted. But she still was having trouble deciding what to say. Her mind was whirling with all of the news. It was like someone had unleashed a tornado inside her brain! And so she simply smiled at General Hammond and quickly followed Jack out of the office. But once she was out in the hallway, she found that she could not stop the words from spilling out of her mouth.

"This is fantastic! Colonel, can you believe it? I mean this is like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! It's more than that really! It's incredible! I'd be in charge of a whole team of scientists! And you'd be in charge of...well, the entire planet."

"And don't forget about the promotions!" Jack added, keeping his eyes on the floor as they walked to the elevator.

Both of them were actually thinking about the removal of the regs that had thus far kept them apart, but neither wanted to sound like that was a main consideration. In truth they were both feeling a bit gun shy regarding their feelings for one another. Sam wondered if Jack was still even interested in pursuing a relationship with her. After all, he had seemed very willing to let her go, when he'd refused her offer to transfer out of his command. He had even said he was going to have her transferred from SG-1 to another team, for crying out loud! Of course since they had made love, she doubted very much that he'd ever go through with that. Or would he?

Jack was just as uncertain about her feelings for him. She had been willing to give up gate travel for him, or so she claimed. And she seemed upset when he threatened to have her transferred from SG-1, but was that because she didn't want to leave his side, or because she didn't want to lose her elite status as a member of the SGC's premier team? 'Nah, Carter isn't like that! She doesn't give a rat's ass about status. She loves me; she said she did!' his confused mind yelled at him.

"Sir, I think we need to go your office and talk about...well everything!" she suggested vaguely as they boarded the elevator. There were already two SGC personnel on the elevator, and so Sam was very careful not to say or do anything improper. What she really wanted to do was hug Jack until his eyes popped out of his head! She also wanted to scream at the top of her lungs that she loved him and would go to the ends of the galaxy, if it meant they could be together! But she didn't want to add to the gossip about her and the Colonel, just in case this whole deal went south.

"I think that's a good idea, Carter," he replied. As soon as the other two other people got off the elevator, Sam and Jack looked at one another and said in unison, "Your house!" By the time they got up to the surface, they had decided on going to his house where they would discuss the plans for their future...together.

THE END

Read about their decision and the effect it has on their lives in part two, "Yellow Rose".


End file.
